Amblyopia treatment outcomes after screening before or at age 3 years: follow up from randomised trial.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of early treatment for amblyopia in children.


METHODS
Follow up of outcomes of treatment for amblyopia in a randomised controlled trial comparing intensive orthoptic screening at 8, 12, 18, 25, 31, and 37 months (intensive group) with orthoptic screening at 37 months only (control group).


METHODS
Avon, southwest England.


METHODS
3490 children who were part of a birth cohort study.


METHODS
Prevalence of amblyopia and visual acuity of the worse seeing eye at 7.5 years of age.


RESULTS
Amblyopia at 7.5 years was less prevalent in the intensive group than in the control group (0.6% v 1.8%; P=0.02). Mean visual acuities in the worse seeing eye were better for children who had been treated for amblyopia in the intensive group than for similar children in the control group (0.15 v 0.26 LogMAR units; P<0.001). A higher proportion of the children who were treated for amblyopia had been seen in a hospital eye clinic before 3 years of age in the intensive group than in the control group (48% v 13%; P=0.0002).


CONCLUSIONS
The intensive screening protocol was associated with better acuity in the amblyopic eye and a lower prevalence of amblyopia at 7.5 years of age, in comparison with screening at 37 months only. These data support the hypothesis that early treatment for amblyopia leads to a better outcome than later treatment and may act as a stimulus for research into feasible screening programmes.
Williams
C
C
Division of Child Health, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ. Cathy.Williams@bristol.ac.uk
Northstone
K
K
Harrad
R A
RA
Sparrow
J M
JM
Harvey
I
I
D000367:Age Factors; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001458:Bandages; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004739:England; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015351:Vision Screening / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014792:Visual Acuity