Effect of age on response to amblyopia treatment in children

January 01, 0001

Effect of age on response to amblyopia treatment in children

These US and Canadian authors conducted a meta-analysis of randomized trials to determine whether age at initiation of treatment for amblyopia influences the response among children 3 to less than 13 years of age with unilateral amblyopia who have 20/40 to 20/400 amblyopic eye visual acuity. They obtained individual subject data from 4 recently completed randomized amblyopia treatment trials to evaluate the relationship between age and improvement in logMAR amblyopic eye visual acuity. Analyses were adjusted for baseline amblyopic eye visual acuity, spherical equivalent refractive error in the amblyopic eye, type of amblyopia, prior amblyopia treatment, study treatment, and protocol. Age was categorized (3 to <5 years, 5 to <7 years, and 7 to <13 years) because there was a nonlinear relationship between age and improvement in amblyopic eye visual acuity.

They found: "Children from 7 to less than 13 years of age were significantly less responsive to treatment than were younger age groups (children from 3 to <5 years of age or children from 5 to <7 years of age) for moderate and severe amblyopia. There was no difference in treatment response between children 3 to less than 5 years of age and children 5 to less than 7 years of age for moderate amblyopia, but there was a suggestion of greater responsiveness in children 3 to less than 5 years of age compared with children 5 to less than 7 years of age for severe amblyopia."

The authors concluded: "Amblyopia is more responsive to treatment among children younger than 7 years of age. Although the average treatment response is smaller in children 7 to less than 13 years of age, some children show a marked response to treatment."

The earlier the treatment the better.

For the full abstract, click here.

Arch Ophthalmol 129(11):1451-1457, November 2011 © 2011 to the American Medical Association
Effect of Age on Response to Amblyopia Treatment in Children. Jonathan M. Holmes, Elizabeth L. Lazar, B. Michele Melia, et al. Correspondence to Mr. Holmes: pedig@jaeb.org

Category: F. Eye. Keywords: amblyopia, children, visual acuity, meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Linda French, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 29 November 2011

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