Prevalence of amblyopia and strabismus in white and African American children aged 6 through 71 months the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the age-specific prevalence of strabismus in white and African American children aged 6 through 71 months and of amblyopia in white and African American children aged 30 through 71 months.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, population-based study.


METHODS
White and African American children aged 6 through 71 months in Baltimore, MD, United States. Among 4132 children identified, 3990 eligible children (97%) were enrolled and 2546 children (62%) were examined.


METHODS
Parents or guardians of eligible participants underwent an in-home interview and were scheduled for a detailed eye examination, including optotype visual acuity and measurement of ocular deviations. Strabismus was defined as a heterotropia at near or distance fixation. Amblyopia was assessed in those children aged 30 through 71 months who were able to perform optotype testing at 3 meters.


METHODS
The proportions of children aged 6 through 71 months with strabismus and of children aged 30 through 71 months with amblyopia.


RESULTS
Manifest strabismus was found in 3.3% of white and 2.1% of African American children (relative prevalence [RP], 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97-2.66). Esotropia and exotropia each accounted for close to half of all strabismus in both groups. Only 1 case of strabismus was found among 84 white children 6 through 11 months of age. Rates were higher in children 60 through 71 months of age (5.8% for whites and 2.9% for African Americans [RP, 2.05; 95% CI, 0.79-5.27]). Amblyopia was present in 12 (1.8%) white and 7 (0.8%) African American children (RP, 2.23; 95% CI, 0.88-5.62). Only 1 child had bilateral amblyopia.


CONCLUSIONS
Manifest strabismus affected 1 in 30 white and 1 in 47 African American preschool-aged children. The prevalence of amblyopia was <2% in both whites and African Americans. National population projections suggest that there are approximately 677,000 cases of manifest strabismus among children 6 through 71 months of age and 271 000 cases of amblyopia among children 30 through 71 months of age in the United States.
Friedman
David S
DS
Dana Center for Prevention Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21210, USA. david.friedman@jhu.edu
Repka
Michael X
MX
Katz
Joanne
J
Giordano
Lydia
L
Ibironke
Josephine
J
Hawse
Patricia
P
Tielsch
James M
JM
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013285:Strabismus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*