FACTORS AFFECTING LONG-TERM RESULTS OF SUCCESSFULLY TREATED AMBLYOPIA- INITIAL VISUAL-ACUITY AND TYPE OF AMBLYOPIA

Aims-The study aimed to assess the effect of initial visual acuity and type of amblyopia on the long term results of successfully treated am blyopia. Methods-The visual acuity of 94 patients, who had been succes sfully treated for unilateral amblyopia by occlusion of the good eye a nd followed up to the age of 9 years, was examined 6.4 years, on avera ge, after cessation of treatment. Patients were divided into two group s according to the depth of amblyopia before occlusion therapy was sta rted: those with visual acuity between 20/60 and 20/100 and those with visual acuity of20/100 or worse. Results-Deterioration of visual acui ty was observed in 42% of patients in the first group and in 63% of pa tients in the second group. Their average deterioration, as measured b y the Snellen chart, was 0.58 and 1.54 lines, respectively. The result s were also assessed by the division of patients into three groups acc ording to the type amblyopia: strabismic, strabismic anisometropic, an d anisometropic. Deterioration of visual acuity occurred in 46%, 79%, and 36% of patients in these three groups, with an average deteriorati on on the Snellen chart of 0.70, 2.04, and 0.64 lines, respectively. C onclusion-It is concluded that low initial visual acuity and strabismi c anisometropic amblyopia are risk factors for deterioration of visual acuity in the long term, following the successful earlier treatment o f eyes with amblyopia.