Profile of Amblyopia in School going (5-15 years) Children at State Level Referral Hospital in Uttarakhand
SC09-SC11
Correspondence
Dr. Manisha Gupta,
Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences,
Patel Nagar, Dehradun-248001, Uttarakhand, India.
E-mail: rajivmanisha@hotmail.com
Introduction: Amblyopia is one of the common causes of childhood visual impairment. The prevalence of amblyopia usually varies according to the age group of the studied population and the factors prevailing in that region. The upper limit of the critical time when the amblyopia can develop is around eight years of age and it can be permanent if corrective measures are not taken in time.
Aim: The purpose of study was to know the profile and pattern of amblyopia in children aged 5-15 years with refractive error in Uttarakhand and to compare it with national and regional (South Asian) studies.
Materials and Methods: In present retrospective cross- sectional study, 360 children from 5-15 yrs of age who attended the OPD during the period between September 2014 to February 2015, had undergone detailed Ophthalmic examination. The children having vision < 6/12 with out organic lesion were included in the study. The children with strabismus, previous ocular surgery and ocular diseases were excluded. Statical Analysis done by - Percentage, ratio, Chi-Square test (IBM SPSS Version 23).
Results: The percentage of amblyopia was 8.6% (n=31) with insignificant gender variation (p-value>0.05). Amblyopia due to astigmatism (combined) 41.93% (n=13) followed by Hypermetropia was 32.25% (n=10) and least in myopia i.e. 25.8% (n=8). In 51.61% cases age of presentation was 5-10 years while rest belonged to > 10 years of age. Binocular amblyopia was more (58.06%) then unilateral amblyopia (41.93%).
Conclusion: Refractory errors are second most common cause of paediatrc amblyopia. Amblyopia and associated strabismus can have devastating psychosocial and economical fall outs. Our study emphasizes the need of more visual screening of school children and prescribing them correct spectacles at appropriate time.