Properties of pediatric patients with bilateral amblyopia

Objective: The objective was to identify the clinical properties and visual outcome of patients with bilateral amblyopia. Materials and Methods: Patients with bilateral amblyopia who did not have ≥1.5 D anisometropia were included in this study. Stereopsis was assessed by the TNO test. The first and final best corrected visual acuities and stereopsis ratios of the patients after starting treatment were compared with paired t test and chi-square tests,respectively,in the SPSS software program. Results: Among 53 patients with bilateral amblyopia,the mean age was 7.04±2.30 (min: 3,max: 13) years,and the mean follow up period was 2.93±1.59 (min:6 months,max: 7 years) years. The rates of 0–4 D,4–7 D, 7 D of hypermetropia,and 4 D myopia were 32.1% (n=17),37.7% (n=21),22.6% (n=12),and 5.7% (n=3),respectively. The cylindrical refractive error was 2 D in 77.4% (n=41) of the patients,and it was 2–4 D and 4 D in 5.7% (n=3) and 17% (n=9) of the patients,respectively. After the correction of refractive error using glasses,there was a significant increase in visual acuities and ratios of stereopsis (p=0.001 for both). Conclusion: Bilateral refractive amblyopia is mostly unremarkable with the absence of visible signs such as squint. While it is possible to encounter refractive amblyopia with 4 D hypermetropia and 2 D astigmatism,the response of these patients to optical correction is good.