The effect of amblyopia on clinical outcomes of children with astigmatism

BACKGROUND: Amblyopia is more common in children with high astigmatism, but factors contributing to development of amblyopia and visual outcomes are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of amblyopia on the clinical outcomes in children with ⩾1.75 diopter (D) astigmatism. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of children with ⩾1.75 D astigmatism with and without amblyopia (amblyopes group and non-amblyopes group). The mean age, gender, amount and type of ocular deviation, presence of convergence insufficiency (CI), stereopsis, time of initial spectacle use and follow-up time, differences in best-corrected visual acuity (VoD) and spherical equivalent (SE) between eyes were assessed and compared between the groups. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), mean SE, astigmatism measurements were assessed and compared between amblyopic, fellow, and non-amblyopic eyes. RESULTS: The records included 68 eyes of 34 children with amblyopia and 56 eyes of 28 children without amblyopia. The mean age, gender, amount and type of ocular deviation, presence of CI, stereopsis, time of initial spectacle use, follow-up time, and the difference in SE did not differ between groups. In amblyopes, exodeviation was more common and statistically greater in near (33 cm) than at distance (6 m) (p = 0.005). The mean BCVA and astigmatism values were statistically different between amblyopic, fellow, and non-amblyopic eyes. CONCLUSION: A greater near than distance exodeviation and higher mean astigmatism value were found in amblyopic children with astigmatism.