Prevalence of Amblyopia and It's Causes in Elementary School Students in Lattakia .

Authors

  • Hussam Darwish Tishreen University
  • Taym Darwish Tishreen University
  • Mahmoud Rajab Tishreen University

Abstract

Purpose: Prevalence of Amblyopia and It's Causes in Elementary School Students in Lattakia ..

Materials and Methods: 946 students were examined in this cross-sectional study, and 7 students were excluded, schools were randomly selected from Elementary schools in Lattakia Governorate in the Syrian Arab Republic. Students were randomly selected and their ages ranged from 6 to 12 years during the year 2023. Information about students was collected through a questionnaire designed especially for the purpose of the research, and it was sent to the students' families. The visual acuity of all students was defined? without correction or with glasses (if any) using the E-chart visual acuity chart at a distance of 5 m. Refraction was measured for students who had visual acuity less than 10/10 using an autorefractometer before and after Accommodation paralysis. As for the accommodation paralysis, three drops of Cyclopentolate (Cyclomed 1%, Medico Pharma Syria) were instilled into each eye with an interval of ten minutes, and the refraction was measured after the third  drop by thirty minutes. The approval of the Ethics and Scientific Research Committee at Tishreen University, Syria, was also obtained.

Results: The prevalence of amblyopia was 1.9% (18 patients). The most common causes of amblyopia were: anisometropia (8) patients, bilateral refractive amblyopia (5) patients, strabismic amblyopia (4) patients, and visual deprivation amblyopia (1) patient. We have not proven an association between gender, parents’ educational degree, or age with amblyopia. We discovered a relationship between amblyopia and place of residence, rural/urban, as the prevalence was lower in the countryside.

Conclusion: The prevalence of amblyopia in Latakia Governorate is among the lowest global rates, and this indicates a very good health situation in terms of children’s eyes. Anisometropia was the most important factor in the development of amblyopia, due to the equal high refraction in both eyes.

Published

2024-01-31

How to Cite

1.
درويش ح, تيم درويش, محمود رجب. Prevalence of Amblyopia and It’s Causes in Elementary School Students in Lattakia . Tuj-hlth [Internet]. 2024Jan.31 [cited 2024Apr.28];45(6):225-37. Available from: https://journal.tishreen.edu.sy/index.php/hlthscnc/article/view/16338