Self-reported physical activity in school age children with amblyopia

Residual amblyopia is associated with difficulties with eye-hand coordination, aiming and catching, balance, and gait. Whether these motor skill difficulties have an impact on physical activity and health is poorly understood.

In this cross-sectional study, 132 children 8-13 years of age completed the self-report Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children: 59 amblyopic children, 29 children with strabismus or anisometropia who were never amblyopic or were no longer amblyopic after treatment (nonamblyopic), and 44 control children. Subsets of children in each group also completed BMI measurement, a self-perception of athletic competence questionnaire, motor skills assessment, and the PedEyeQ Functional Vision domain questionnaire. A subset of parents rated their child's physical activity as sedentary, light, moderate, or very active.

Overall, 63% were non-Hispanic White and 54% were female, with a mean age of 9.9 ± 1.7 years. Of the 59 amblyopic children, 46% had anisometropia, 31% had been treated for strabismus, and 24% had both. Neither a significant difference in overall physical activity nor BMI was identified among children with amblyopia, nonamblyopic children, and controls (F_2,129 = 1.12, P = 0.33; F_2,68 = 0.43, P = 0.65, resp.). Responses from both children and their parents were consistent with light to moderate levels of physical activity in all three groups. Children with amblyopia had deficits in motor skills, self-perception of athletic competence, and functional vision relative to controls (F_2,98 = 11.51, P < 0.0001; F_2,95 = 3.47, P = 0.04; F_2,129 = 20.20, P < 0.0001, resp.).

Despite significant impairments in motor skills, and differences in athletic self-perception and functional vision, children with amblyopia maintain overall physical activity levels and BMI comparable to their control peers.