Visual Functions in Amblyopia as Determinants of Response to Treatment

Purpose: To describe the visual functions in amblyopia as determinants of response to treatment. Methods: Sixty-nine patients with unilateral and bilateral amblyopia (114 amblyopic eyes) 3 to 15 years old (mean age: 8.80 ± 2.9 years), 40 males (58%) and 29 females (42%), were included in this study. All patients were treated by conventional occlusion 6 hours per day for mild to moderate amblyopia (visual acuity 0.70 or better) and full-time for 4 weeks followed by 6 hours per day for severe amblyopia (visual acuity 0.8 or worse). During occlusion, near activities requiring hand–eye coordination were advised. The follow-up examination was done at 3 and 6 months. Improvement in visual acuity was evaluated on the logMAR chart and correlated with the visual functions. Statistical analysis was done using Wilcoxon rank sum test (Mann–Whitney U test) and Kruskal–Wallis analysis. Results: There was a statistically significant association of poor contrast sensitivity with the grade of amblyopia ( P < .001). The grade of amblyopia ( P < .01), accommodation ( P < .01), stereopsis ( P = .01), and mesopic visual acuity ( P < .03) were found to have a correlation with response to amblyopia therapy. Conclusions: The grade of amblyopia (initial visual acuity) and accommodation are strong determinants of response to amblyopia therapy, whereas stereopsis and mesopic visual acuity have some value as determinants. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus 2013;50(6):348–354.]