Abstract

Purpose: Investigation of the causes and risk factors of amblyopia which is the most important cause of legal blindness with a prevalance of 2,5% among people under 45 years old in developed countries.
Material and Methods: A screening test was performed to 3-6 years old preschool children and kindergartens in Ankara. The records included age, sex, birth problems, education level of the parents, pre and postnatal problems, family history and visual acuities. Suspected cases were sent to the ophthalmologist for the examination of visual acuity, and duction and version, biomicroscopic, ophthalmoscopic and cycloplegic refractive examinations. Visual acuity of 8/10 or less without any organic cause was accepted as amblyopia.
Results: Fifty six of the 202 children were sent to the ophthalmologist because of low vision. Ophthalmologic examination revealed 6 amblyopia cases. The prevalance of amblyopia was 2,97%.
Conclusion: Ambliyopia was 3 times more frequent in cases with a positive family history compared with cases without a family history. But this value was statistically insignificant. The most frequent causes of amblyopia were esotropia (50%), hypermetropic amblyopia (33,3%), and deprivation amblyopia (16,6%).

Key words: Amblyopia, preschool children, prevalance, risc factors

Article Language: Turkish English