TY - JOUR
T1 - Optical Treatment of Amblyopia in Astigmatic Children. The Sensitive Period for Successful Treatment
AU - Harvey, Erin M.
AU - Dobson, Velma
AU - Clifford-Donaldson, Candice E.
AU - Miller, Joseph M.
N1 - Funding Information:
Supported by the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland (grant nos. EY11155 [JMM], EY13153 [EMH]), and Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, New York (unrestricted grant to the University of Arizona Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science [JMM], Walter E. and Lilly Disney Award for Amblyopia Research [JMM], and Career Development Award [EMH]).
PY - 2007/12
Y1 - 2007/12
N2 - Objective: To compare the effectiveness of eyeglass treatment of astigmatism-related amblyopia in children younger than 8 years (range, 4.75-7.99 years) versus children 8 years of age and older (range, 8.00-13.53 years) over short (6-week) and long (1-year) treatment intervals. Design: Prospective, interventional, comparative case-control study. Participants: Four hundred forty-six nonastigmatic (right and left eye, <0.75 diopters [D]) and 310 astigmatic (RE, ≥1.00 D) Native American (Tohono O'odham) children in kindergarten or grades 1 through 6. Intervention: Eyeglass correction of refractive error, prescribed for full-time wear, in astigmatic children. Main Outcome Measures: Amount of change in mean right-eye best-corrected letter visual acuity for treated astigmatic children versus untreated, age-matched nonastigmatic children after short (6-week) and long (1-year) treatment intervals. Results: Astigmatic children had significantly reduced mean best-corrected visual acuity at baseline compared to nonastigmatic children. Astigmats showed significantly greater improvement in mean best-corrected visual acuity (0.08 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR] unit; approximately 1 line), than the nonastigmatic children (0.01 logMAR unit) over the 6-week treatment interval. No additional treatment effect was observed between 6 weeks and 1 year. Treatment effectiveness was not dependent on age group (<8 years vs. ≥8 years) and was not influenced by previous eyeglass treatment. Despite significant improvement, mean best-corrected visual acuity in astigmatic children remained significantly poorer than in nonastigmatic children after 1 year of eyeglass treatment, even when analyses were limited to results from highly compliant children. Conclusions: Sustained eyeglass correction results in significant improvement in best-corrected visual acuity in astigmatic children, including those previously believed to be beyond the sensitive period for successful treatment.
AB - Objective: To compare the effectiveness of eyeglass treatment of astigmatism-related amblyopia in children younger than 8 years (range, 4.75-7.99 years) versus children 8 years of age and older (range, 8.00-13.53 years) over short (6-week) and long (1-year) treatment intervals. Design: Prospective, interventional, comparative case-control study. Participants: Four hundred forty-six nonastigmatic (right and left eye, <0.75 diopters [D]) and 310 astigmatic (RE, ≥1.00 D) Native American (Tohono O'odham) children in kindergarten or grades 1 through 6. Intervention: Eyeglass correction of refractive error, prescribed for full-time wear, in astigmatic children. Main Outcome Measures: Amount of change in mean right-eye best-corrected letter visual acuity for treated astigmatic children versus untreated, age-matched nonastigmatic children after short (6-week) and long (1-year) treatment intervals. Results: Astigmatic children had significantly reduced mean best-corrected visual acuity at baseline compared to nonastigmatic children. Astigmats showed significantly greater improvement in mean best-corrected visual acuity (0.08 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR] unit; approximately 1 line), than the nonastigmatic children (0.01 logMAR unit) over the 6-week treatment interval. No additional treatment effect was observed between 6 weeks and 1 year. Treatment effectiveness was not dependent on age group (<8 years vs. ≥8 years) and was not influenced by previous eyeglass treatment. Despite significant improvement, mean best-corrected visual acuity in astigmatic children remained significantly poorer than in nonastigmatic children after 1 year of eyeglass treatment, even when analyses were limited to results from highly compliant children. Conclusions: Sustained eyeglass correction results in significant improvement in best-corrected visual acuity in astigmatic children, including those previously believed to be beyond the sensitive period for successful treatment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=36549062475&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=36549062475&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ophtha.2007.03.021
DO - 10.1016/j.ophtha.2007.03.021
M3 - Article
C2 - 18054643
AN - SCOPUS:36549062475
SN - 0161-6420
VL - 114
SP - 2293
EP - 2301
JO - Ophthalmology
JF - Ophthalmology
IS - 12
ER -