Can retinoscopy be used to screen infants for amblyopia? A longitudinal study of refraction in the first year of life.
One hundred normal babies were refracted by two observers in a double-masked study within 24 hours of delivery and 30 minutes after instillation of 1% cyclopentolate. The procedure was repeated at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. At birth agreement between the two refractionists to within 1 dioptre spherical equivalent was 82%, rising to 94% at 1 year. Astigmatism of greater than 1 dioptre increased from 10% at birth to 42% at 6 months but decreased to 15% at 1 year. Myopia was uncommon (4%) but 80% of eyes were hypermetropic more than +2 dioptres and 25% more than +4 dioptres at birth, although these percentages decreased to 5% and 3% at 1 year. Anisometropia of more than 1 dioptre between the two eyes was uncommon but in the two cases where it persisted in the presence of high hypermetropia, reversible amblyopia was encountered in both cases.
Hopkisson
B
B
Eye Department, Northampton General Hospital, UK.
Arnold
P
P
Billingham
B
B
McGarrigle
M
M
Shribman
S
S
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003519:Cyclopentolate; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000503:physiopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D003519:Cyclopentolate