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. 1999 Oct;83(10):1112–1114. doi: 10.1136/bjo.83.10.1112

Amblyopia and visual acuity in children with Down's syndrome

W Tsiaras 1, S Pueschel 1, C Keller 1, R Curran 1, S Giesswein 1
PMCID: PMC1722810  PMID: 10502568

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS—Amblyopia in people with Down's syndrome has not been well investigated. This study was designed to determine the prevalence and associated conditions of amblyopia in a group of home reared children with Down's syndrome.
METHODS—All children in the study group underwent an evaluation of visual acuity. In addition, previous ophthalmological records were reviewed, and a subgroup of children was examined. For the purposes of this study, amblyopia was defined quantitatively as a difference of two Snellen acuity lines between eyes or if unilateral central steady maintained (CSM) vision and a clear fixation preference was observed. A high refractive error was defined as a spherical equivalent more than 3 dioptres and astigmatism more than 1.75 dioptres. Anisometropia was defined as a difference of at least 1.5 dioptres of sphere and/or 1.0 dioptre of cylinder between eyes. 68 children with Down's syndrome between the ages of 5 and 19 years were enrolled in the final study group.
RESULTS—Amblyopia was observed in 15 (22%) of 68 patients. An additional 16 (24%) patients had bilateral vision less than 20/50. Strabismus, high refractive errors, and anisometropia were the conditions most commonly associated with decreased vision and amblyopia
CONCLUSION—This study suggests that the prevalence of amblyopia is higher than previously reported. Fully 46% of these children with Down's syndrome had evidence of substantial visual deficits. These patients may be at higher risk for visual impairment and should be carefully examined for ophthalmological problems.



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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

Conditions associated with amblyopia and/or bilateral vision less than 20/50 in children with Down's syndrome.

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

Ratio of acuity in amblyopic children with Down's syndrome.

Figure 3  .

Figure 3  

Distribution of acuity ratios in 68 children with Down's syndrome.

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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