Diagnosis and management of amblyopia in school children

Abstract

Amblyopia, as a neurological disease, is the result of abnormal stimulation of the brain during a critical period of visual development. This is the main etiology of reduced spatial vision during childhood, historically caused by strabismus, depravation, and anisometropia. The objective of this research was the diagnosis and management of amblyopia in school children in Aragua, Venezuela in 2024. Materials and methods, a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out with a sample of 69 primary school students, with an average age of 8 years. Socio-demographic data, history of visual pathologies, use of optical correction, clinical typicity, warning signs and visual acuity were collected using optotypes and the JAEGER near vision card. In addition, monocular therapeutic techniques were applied to children with amblyopia. Results showed that 81% of the students denied having a history of visual pathologies, while 15% reported myopia and 4% hyperopia. 91% did not use optical correction. Regarding clinical typicity, 87% did not present signs or symptoms of amblyopia, and 90% showed no warning signs. The visual acuity assessment revealed that 83% of the students had a visual acuity of 20/20 in both eyes, and 90% had a close visual acuity of 1+ in both eyes. After refractive correction, 9% reached 20/20 in both eyes, and after treatment, 91.30% did not require additional follow-up. The applied monocular therapeutic techniques showed a significant improvement in the visual acuity of the amblyopic eye. Conclusion, it is concluded that most of the students presented a normal visual acuity after treatment, which indicates the effectiveness of the monocular therapeutic techniques applied. The low prevalence of optical correction uses and the lack of signs and symptoms in most students suggest a need for greater awareness and education about visual pathologies in the school population.