Tackling amblyopia in human infants

Amblyopia can possibly be avoided if it is detected early and treated appropriately. It remains to be decided whether the general population should be screened or whether a subpopulation of infants likely to develop this pathology can be isolated. A population study using the odds ratio was performed on a group of unselected infants (n = 2143) aged 5-15 months who attended a surveillance programme. Results show that a family history of visual defect has a 'protective' effect on individual infants, most probably because more of these infants are brought in for a check-up at an early age on the parents' initiative. The risk factor with the highest predisposition for amblyopia was found to be anisometropia. These results indicate the necessity for screening of refraction and resolution defects in the whole population. The French health authorities have recently decided to provide for a visual assessment visit to all infants at the age of 9 months.