Amblyopia due to strabismus. Experience acquired at the Ibn Rochd TeachingHospital in Casablanca, Morocco (3500 cases)

Of the 3500 patients who attended the strabismus clinic at the Ibn Rochd Te aching Hospital in Casablanca between 1993 and 1997, 80% had amblyopia, Mea n age of the patients with amblyopia was 7 years. Half the cases of amblyop ia were severe (visual acuity < 1/10 for at least one eye). Only 33% of amb lyopia patients recovered a normal visual acuity after a mean treatment dur ation of 14.5 months. The main reasons for this disappointing result were d iagnostic delay due to inadequate parental information on strabismus, diagn ostic wanderings, and therapeutic mistakes. About 15 to 20 new cases are se en at the clinic each week, and the clinic population is representative of the national population of children with strabismus.