Incidence of amblyopia in the Menoufia University outpatient clinic

Abstract

Objectives The aim of the study was to estimate the incidence of amblyopia in children aged between 5 and 15 years and ascertain the most common causes of amblyopia in this age group in the Menoufia University outpatient clinic. Background Amblyopia is one of the leading causes of acquired preventable monocular visual impairment. Methods This is a cross-sectional clinical study that was carried out between March 2012 and September 2012 in children between the ages of 5 and 15 years (mean age 8.013 ΁ 3.381 years) attending the Menoufia University outpatient clinic. After obtaining patient consent all patients underwent refraction, vision, and subjective refraction tests. Amblyopia was defined as best-corrected visual acuity with a two-line interocular optotype acuity difference with no pathology. Results The study was conducted on 510 patients; 38 of them (6.3% of male patients and 8.6% of female patients) had amblyopia, with an estimated incidence of 7.45%. Amblyopia decreased significantly with age (P = 0.002). Of the 38 amblyopic patients, 26 (68.42%) had anisometropic amblyopia and 12 (31.58%) had strabismic amblyopia. The most common type of amblyopia was anisometropia, followed by strabismic amblyopia. Hypermetropia was the most common refractive error in anisometropic amblyopia. Conclusion The incidence of amblyopia in this study was 7.45%, which is high compared with other studies; however, the sample in this study was taken from diseased persons attending the outpatient clinic and not from a healthy population. Proper ophthalmological screening of preschool children should be carried out, including extraocular examination, fundus examination, and visual acuity testing, with special emphasis on detection of errors of refraction.