Clinical Profile and Treatment Outcomes of Amblyopia Across Age Groups

PURPOSE: The purpose is to study the clinical profile of amblyopia by age at diagnosis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 327 amblyopic patients over 7 years (September 2009–December 2016) was performed, divided by age at diagnosis into four groups: <3, 3–7, 8–15, and >15 years. Demographics, eye conditions and eye examination parameters including visual acuity (VA), refractive errors, and motility measurements were collected. RESULTS: Mean age at diagnosis and follow-up time was 6.2 ± 6.1 years standard deviation (SD) and 12.4 months ± 20.6 SD, respectively. The most common overall cause of amblyopia was strabismus (37%) followed by anisometropia (36%). The main causes by age at diagnosis were: strabismus at <3 years, anisometropia at 3–7 years, anisometropia at 8–15 years, and mixed at >15 years. Significant improvement in VA with treatment was noted with age between 3 and 15 years (3–7 years, P = 0.001 and 8–15 years, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Strabismus was the main cause of amblyopia at <3 years of age; anisometropia was more prevalent in older children (3–15 years). The fact that more than a quarter of our amblyopic patients were detected late (after the age of 8 years) underscores the need for expanded vision screening measures in young children.