Objetivo: Estudar os componentes refrativos da hipermetropia em crianças com ambliopia por esotropia, comparando os olhos amblíopes com os olhos contralaterais. Métodos: Foram incluídos 37 pacientes de 5 a 8 anos de idade, com hipermetropia bilateral e ambliopia por esotropia. Foi realizada avaliação oftalmológica completa, incluindo refratometria sob cicloplegia, ceratometria e biometria ultrassonográfica modo A. Foram registrados profundidade da câmara anterior, espessura do cristalino, profundidade da câmara vítrea e comprimento axial total. O poder refrativo do cristalino foi calculado pelas equações de Bennett. Para comparar erro refrativo, poder da córnea, poder calculado do cristalino e componentes ecobiométricos entre os olhos amblíopes e os olhos contralaterais foi empregado o teste t de Student pareado. Para avaliar a relação entre os principais componentes refrativos individuais e o erro refrativo foram empregados o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson e a análise de regressão linear. Foram construídos também modelos multivariados, incluindo comprimento axial, poder da córnea e poder do cristalino. Resultados: Os olhos amblíopes apresentaram hipermetropia mais alta, menor poder da córnea, maior poder do cristalino, menor profundidade da câmara vítrea e menor comprimento axial. Não houve diferença entre os olhos quanto à profundidade da câmara anterior ou à espessura do cristalino. A variável que apresentou correlação mais forte com o erro refrativo foi a razão comprimento axial/raio de curvatura da córnea (r = -0.92, p < 0.001 nos olhos amblíopes e r = - 0.87, p < 0.001 nos olhos contralaterais). O comprimento axial representou 39,2% da explicação da variabilidade do erro refrativo nos olhos amblíopes e 35,5% nos olhos contralaterais. O modelo que combinou comprimento axial e poder da córnea explicou 85,7% e 79,6% da variabilidade do erro refrativo, respectivamente. Houve correlação significante entre comprimento axial e poder da córnea, indicando diminuição do poder da córnea com o aumento do comprimento axial e os coeficientes de correlação foram semelhantes entre os olhos amblíopes (r = -0.53, p <0.001) e os olhos contralaterais (r = -0.57, p < 0.001). Houve correlação significante entre comprimento axial e poder do cristalino, indicando diminuição do poder do cristalino com o aumento do comprimento axial e os coeficientes de correlação também foram semelhantes entre os olhos amblíopes (r = -0.72, p < 0.001) e os olhos contralaterais (r = -0.69, p < 0.001). Conclusão: As correlações entre os principais componentes refrativos e sua contribuição individual para o erro refrativo foram semelhantes nos olhos amblíopes e nos olhos contralaterais de crianças com esotropia, a despeito da hipermetropia mais alta nos olhos amblíopes / Purpose: To study the refractive components of hyperopia in children with esotropic amblyopia, comparing amblyopic eyes with fellow eyes. Methods: Thirty-seven patients (5 to 8 years old) with bilateral hyperopia and esotropic amblyopia underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination, including cycloplegic refraction, keratometry and A-scan ultrasonography. Anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth and total axial length were recorded. The refractive power of the crystalline lens was calculated using Bennett`s equations. Paired Students t-tests were used to compare refractive error, corneal power, calculated lens power and ocular biometric measurements between amblyopic eyes and their fellow eyes. The relationship between the major oculometric parameters and refractive error was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients and linear regression. Multivariable models including axial length, corneal power and lens power were also constructed. Results: Amblyopic eyes were found to have significantly more hyperopic refraction, lesser corneal power, greater lens power, shorter vitreous chamber depth and shorter axial length, despite similar anterior chamber depth and lens thickness. The strongest correlation with refractive error was observed for the axial length/corneal radius ratio (r = -0.92, p < 0.001 for amblyopic and r = -0.87, p < 0.001 for fellow eyes). Axial length accounted for 39.2% of the refractive error variance in amblyopic eyes and 35.5% in fellow eyes. The combination of axial length and corneal power accounted for 85.7% and 79.6% of the refractive error variance respectively. A significant correlation was found between axial length and corneal power, indicating decreasing corneal power with increasing axial length, and they were similar for amblyopic eyes (r = -0.53, p < 0.001) and fellow eyes (r = -0.57, p < 0.001). A significant correlation was found between axial length and lens power, indicating decreasing lens power with increasing axial length, and they were also similar for amblyopic eyes (r = -0.72, p < 0.001) and fellow eyes (r = -0.69, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The correlations among the major refractive components and their individual contribution to refractive error were similar in amblyopic and non-amblyopic eyes in esotropic children, despite more hyperopic refraction in amblyopic eyes

Inter-ocular suppression occurs when very different images are presented to each eye. Diplopia ensues if different images are superimposed and perceived. The brain removes this unfavourable viewing experience by suppressing one eye’s input to enable clear single vision. Inter-ocular suppression during visual development occurs in response to sufficiently disparate images caused by strabismus (misalignment of the visual axis) or anisometropia (uncorrected difference in refractive error), and if persistent may result in amblyopia. This is reduced visual sensitivity, usually in one eye, to a range of visual functions that cannot be corrected by refraction. Furthermore, binocular vision is reduced or absent. Depth and extent of suppression is measured across the central visual field in healthy participants with monocularly blurred vision, healthy participants with monocularly reduced luminance using neutral density (ND) filters, and participants with naturally disrupted binocular vision and/or amblyopia. Suppression of spatial stimuli defined by luminance (L) and luminancemodulated noise (LM) was compared to that measured for stimuli defined by contrast-modulated noise (CM), for which there is no change in mean luminance. For all stimuli suppression depth increased with increased imbalance of binocular input. Suppression was of a similar depth across the visual field with imposed blur and localised central suppression was found with ND filters. Microstrabismics showed central suppression, while strabismic amblyopes showed central in addition to hemifield suppression. Suppression for all participants was measured to be deeper for CM spatial stimuli than for LM spatial stimuli. This is suggested to be a result of CM stimuli engaging more binocular mechanisms of processing, than LM stimuli, thereby becoming more sensitive to disruptions of binocularity such as those produced in the participants in the present study. CM stimuli are therefore more sensitive to detecting suppression, which is associated with amblyopia.

As disturbed binocular functions in small children may lead to severe amblyopia it is of interest to detect it as early as possible. Most tests for binocular functions, however, demand active cooperation and may be unreliable in children up to 4-5 years of age. This study therefore aims to employ visual evoked potentials (VEP) to enable the examiner to evaluate the binocular function in a subject without need of active cooperation from the subject. Initially we studied the relation of suprathreshold contrast to the latency of the transient pattern VEP (tpVEP). Although suprathreshold contrast independently influenced the tpVEP latency, interindividual variation was too large to suggest tpVEP as a possible method for objectively measuring contrast sensitivity in a subject. The tpVEP latency in normal and microstrabismic adult subjects was examined. It was significantly shorter with binocular viewing in normals, but not in the microstrabismic group. Contrast sensitivity and tpVEP latency was examined in adults, both with normal binocularity and with microstrabismus, using both luminance (black-and-white) contrast and colour contrast patterns. The tpVEP latency to colour contrast, like that to luminance contrast, is shorter in normal subjects who view the stimulus binocularly. Interindividual variation or overlap between the normal and microstrabismic groups did not improve with colour contrast. The most significant features of the tpVEP are amplitude and latency. Depending on stimulus conditions, the response may show variations in configuration, amplitude and, to a lesser degree, latency. To decrease the influence of such variations steady-state VEP (ssVEP) can be used. The stimulus is presented in a fast repetitive manner, yielding a VEP response shaped as a continuous curve. The frequency components of this curve can be analysed using Fast Fourier Analysis. Fast Fourier analysis of ssVEP in children aged 8-15 years with normal binocularity and with microstrabismus showed that the power of the second harmonic (the double frequency of stimulus frequency) of the response with binocular viewing was larger than with monocular viewing, both in normals and microstrabismic subjects. For higher stimulus frequencies, microstrabismic subjects showed a significantly lower power of the second harmonic compared with subjects with normal binocularity, when the stimulus was presented binocularly. Finally, Fast Fourier analysed ssVEP in pre-school children aged 4-5 years was studied. A normal group was compared with a group with microstrabismus and a group with significant amblyopia. Amblyopic subjects had significant interocular differences in the first harmonic. We confirmed the significant difference found between microstrabismic subjects and subjects with normal binocularity regarding the second harmonic’s power with higher temporal frequency binocular stimulation, although at a slightly lower frequency than for older children. A low power of the second harmonic in the ssVEP to a binocular stimulus with high temporal frequency is a strong indicator of disturbed binocular function. / För att förhindra amblyopi (ensidig synsvaghet) hos barn är det viktigt att upptäcka störningar i samsynsfunktionerna så tidigt som möjligt. Samsynstester kräver dock aktiv medverkan och kan ge osäkra resultat hos barn upp till 4-5 års ålder. Den här avhandlingen studerar möjligheterna att utifrån tidsmässiga (temporala) egenskaper hos visual evoked potentials (VEP) undersöka samsynsfunktioner objektivt, utan att den undersökte behöver medverka aktivt. Första delstudien visar att ett synstimulus kontrastnivå i relation till kontrastkänslighetströskeln oberoende påverkar latensen i VEP, men variationer mellan individer gör metoden olämplig som objektiv kontrastkänslighetstest. Andra delstudien jämför latensen i VEP hos individer med normal samsyn med den hos personer med mikroskelning. Stimulering av båda ögonen gav signifikant kortare latens än stimulering av ett öga hos normala, men inte hos mikroskelare. I den tredje delstudien jämfördes känslighet för luminanskontrast och färgkontrast hos individer med normal samsyn och personer med mikroskelning. Både luminansmönster (svart-vita) och färgkontrastmönster upptäcktes vid lägre kontrast om båda ögonen stimulerades istället för ett i taget hos normalseende. Mikroskelare uppfattade mönstren sämre med båda ögonen än med ett öga (det dominanta). Latensen i VEP mättes i båda grupperna för både luminans- och färgkontrastmönster. Båda typerna av kontrast gav förkortning av latensen när båda ögonen stimulerades vid normal samsyn, men denna förkortning uteblev hos mikroskelare. Både luminans- och färgkontrast gav för varierande resultat för att utnyttja metoden för objektiv undersökning av samsynen. Fourier-analys innebär att en kurvform delas upp i sinuskurvor med olika frekvens, amplitud och fas. Om ett stimulus växlar hastigt får man ett steady-state VEP (ssVEP), dvs en kontinuerligt vågformad VEP-kurva, som kan delas upp i delsinuskurvor med Fourieranalys. Detta gör att man särskilt kan studera frekvenser som är relaterade till stimuleringsfrekvensen, till exempel grundton och övertoner (multipler av grundtonsfrekvensen). Barn 8-15 år gamla, med normal samsyn och med mikroskelning undersöktes med ssVEP i det fjärde delarbetet. Den första övertonen (= ”second harmonic”) var statistiskt signifikant svagare hos mikroskelare jämfört med normala individer, när stimuleringsfrekvensen var hög. Det femte och sista delarbetet undersökte ssVEP hos 4-5 år gamla förskolebarn på motsvarande sätt. I denna studie deltog också en grupp barn med amblyopi (synsvaghet) på ena ögat. På en något lägre stimuleringsfrekvens bekräftades den svagare första övertonen hos barnen med mikroskelning jämfört med barnen med normal samsyn. De amblyopa barnen visade tydligast förändringar vid lägre stimuleringsfrekvenser och i ssVEP:s grundtonsfrekvens (= ”first harmonic” eller ”fundamental harmonic”). Resultaten i de olika grupperna är så pass åtskilda att metoden verkar lämpa sig för objektiv undersökning av samsynsfunktioner, i det att en svag första överton i binokulärt ssVEP utlöst av hög stimuleringsfrekvens inger en stark misstanke om störd samsyn, medan en stor skillnad i grundtonens styrka i höger respektive vänster ögas ssVEP tyder på amblyopi.

Abstract Purpose: Interocular inhibitory interactions appear to underlie the establishment of ocular dominance. The inhibitory effect leads to suppression of the non dominant eye in certain conditions. While these processes are not fully understood, the relative differences in image contrast appear to be fundamental. By titrating the relative contrast presented to each eye, a balance in the relative inhibitory effects of each eye can be defined. This research looked at whether the interocular contrast ratio at perceptual balance could be used as an index of the ocular dominance in binocular normal population, and the suppression typically found in the amblyopic population. Contrast variation was compared to luminance variation as well as the application of neutral density filters. Methods: Balance point measures were obtained by varying the interocular levels of contrast for a global motion task viewed dichoptically. One eye received signal dots moving in a given direction while the other eye received noise dots moving randomly. Subjects were tasked with determining the direction of movement of the signal dots. Balanced dichoptic motion sensitivity was achieved under a specific contrast ratio (or the balance point), depending on the observer’s binocular functions. This test was conducted on a control group (n=23) having normal vision and a strabismic amblyopic group (n=10). In addition, a variation of this test was designed with interocular luminance (rather than interocular contrast) serving as the independent variable was conducted to both the control (n=5) and amblyopic groups (n=8). Concurrent eye tracking measures measured changes in eye alignment at the balance point. Results: Although most normal vision subjects showed a balance point at close to equal levels of contrast between the eyes, a minority of them were significantly imbalanced. The suppression measured in the strabismic amblyopic group was significantly greater than that of the control group. Varying the interocular luminance instead of contrast failed to affect the coherence motion thresholds. Ocular alignment was not changed when the balance point was reached. Conclusion: Consistent with the current model of binocular integration, interocular contrast are uniquely important in establishing sensory dominance and suppression. This suggests that the interocular suppression found in amblyopia could be attenuated by methods that allow the reduction of contrast to the fellow fixing eye. Amblyopia therapy might then be improved where such contrast balancing methods are employed instead of the complete patching of the fellow eye.

Abstract Purpose: Interocular inhibitory interactions appear to underlie the establishment of ocular dominance. The inhibitory effect leads to suppression of the non dominant eye in certain conditions. While these processes are not fully understood, the relative differences in image contrast appear to be fundamental. By titrating the relative contrast presented to each eye, a balance in the relative inhibitory effects of each eye can be defined. This research looked at whether the interocular contrast ratio at perceptual balance could be used as an index of the ocular dominance in binocular normal population, and the suppression typically found in the amblyopic population. Contrast variation was compared to luminance variation as well as the application of neutral density filters. Methods: Balance point measures were obtained by varying the interocular levels of contrast for a global motion task viewed dichoptically. One eye received signal dots moving in a given direction while the other eye received noise dots moving randomly. Subjects were tasked with determining the direction of movement of the signal dots. Balanced dichoptic motion sensitivity was achieved under a specific contrast ratio (or the balance point), depending on the observer’s binocular functions. This test was conducted on a control group (n=23) having normal vision and a strabismic amblyopic group (n=10). In addition, a variation of this test was designed with interocular luminance (rather than interocular contrast) serving as the independent variable was conducted to both the control (n=5) and amblyopic groups (n=8). Concurrent eye tracking measures measured changes in eye alignment at the balance point. Results: Although most normal vision subjects showed a balance point at close to equal levels of contrast between the eyes, a minority of them were significantly imbalanced. The suppression measured in the strabismic amblyopic group was significantly greater than that of the control group. Varying the interocular luminance instead of contrast failed to affect the coherence motion thresholds. Ocular alignment was not changed when the balance point was reached. Conclusion: Consistent with the current model of binocular integration, interocular contrast are uniquely important in establishing sensory dominance and suppression. This suggests that the interocular suppression found in amblyopia could be attenuated by methods that allow the reduction of contrast to the fellow fixing eye. Amblyopia therapy might then be improved where such contrast balancing methods are employed instead of the complete patching of the fellow eye.

Background/Aims: In an investigation of the functional impact of amblyopia on children, the fine motor skills, perceived self-esteem and eye movements of amblyopic children were compared with that of age-matched controls. The influence of amblyogenic condition or treatment factors that might predict any decrement in outcome measures was investigated. The relationship between indirect measures of eye movements that are used clinically and eye movement characteristics recorded during reading was examined and the relevance of proficiency in fine motor skills to performance on standardised educational tests was explored in a sub-group of the control children. Methods: Children with amblyopia (n=82; age 8.2 ± 1.3 years) from differing causes (infantile esotropia n=17, acquired strabismus n=28, anisometropia n=15, mixed n=13 and deprivation n=9), and a control group of children (n=106; age 9.5 ± 1.2 years) participated in this study. Measures of visual function included monocular logMAR visual acuity (VA) and stereopsis assessed with the Randot Preschool Stereoacuity test, while fine motor skills were measured using the Visual-Motor Control (VMC) and Upper Limb Speed and Dexterity (ULSD) subtests of the Brunicks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Perceived self esteem was assessed for those children from grade 3 school level with the Harter Self Perception Profile for Children and for those in younger grades (preschool to grade 2) with the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Acceptance for Young Children. A clinical measure of eye movements was made with the Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test for those children aged eight years and above. For appropriate case-control comparison of data, the results from amblyopic children were compared with age-matched sub-samples drawn from the group of children with normal vision who completed the tests. Eye movements during reading for comprehension were recorded by the Visagraph infra-red recording system and results of standardised tests of educational performance were also obtained for a sub-set of the control group. Results Amblyopic children (n=82; age 8.2 ± 1.7 years) performed significantly poorer than age-matched control children (n=37; age 8.3 ± 1.3 years) on 9 of 16 fine motor skills sub-items and for the overall age-standardised scores for both VMC and ULSD items (p<0.05); differences were most evident on timed manual dexterity tasks. The underlying aetiology of amblyopia and level of stereoacuity significantly affected fine motor skill performance on both items. However, when examined in a multiple regression model that took into account the inter-correlation between visual characteristics, poorer fine motor skills performance was only associated with strabismus (F1,75 = 5.428; p =0. 022), and not with the level of stereoacuity, refractive error or visual acuity in either eye. Amblyopic children from grade 3 school level and above (n=47; age 9.2 ± 1.3 years), particularly those with acquired strabismus, had significantly lower social acceptance scores than age-matched control children (n=52; age 9.4 ± 0.5 years) (F(5,93) = 3.14; p = 0.012). However, the scores of the amblyopic children were not significantly different to controls for other areas related to self-esteem, including scholastic competence, physical appearance, athletic competence, behavioural conduct and global self worth. A lower social acceptance score was independently associated with a history of treatment with patching but not with a history of strabismus or wearing glasses. Amblyopic children from pre-school to grade 2 school level (n=29; age = 6.6 ± 0.6 years) had similar self-perception scores to their age-matched peers (n=20; age = 6.4 ± 0.5 years). There were no significant differences between the amblyopic (n=39; age 9.1 ± 0.9 years) and age-matched control (n = 42; age = 9.3 ± 0.38 years) groups for any of the DEM outcome measures (Vertical Time, Horizontal Time, Number of Errors and Ratio (Horizontal time/Vertical time)). Performance on the DEM did not significantly relate to measures of VA in either eye, level of binocular function, history of strabismus or refractive error. Developmental Eye Movement test outcome measures Horizontal Time and Vertical Time were significantly correlated with reading rates measured by the Visagraph for both reading for comprehension and naming numbers (r>0.5). Some moderate correlations were also seen between the DEM Ratio and word reading rates as recorded by Visagraph (r=0.37). In children with normal vision, academic scores in mathematics, spelling and reading were associated with measures of fine motor skills. Strongest effect sizes were seen with the timed manual dexterity domain, Upper Limb Speed and Dexterity. Conclusions Amblyopia may have a negative impact on a child’s fine motor skills and an older child’s sense of acceptance by their peers may be influenced by treatment that includes eye patching. Clinical measures of eye movements were not affected in amblyopic children. A number of the outcome measures of the DEM are associated with objective recordings of reading rates, supporting its clinical use for identification of children with slower reading rates. In children with normal vision, proficiency on clinical measures of fine motor skill are associated with outcomes on standardised measures of educational performance. Scores on timed manual dexterity tasks had the strongest association with educational performance. Collectively, the results of this study indicate that, in addition to the reduction in visual acuity and binocular function that define the condition, amblyopes have functional impairment in childhood development skills that underlie proficiency in everyday activities. The study provides support for strategies aimed at early identification and remediation of amblyopia and the co-morbidities that arise from abnormal visual neurodevelopment.

Följsamheten av ocklusionsbehandling hos barn med amblyopi är bristfällig. Det finns begränsat med forskning om vilka erfarenheter vårdpersonal har av denna bristande följsamhet, och det vore därför av intresse att undersöka vilka åtgärder ögonsjuksköterskor upplever kan vidtas för att främja följsamheten. Syftet med pilotstudien var därför att undersöka hur ögonsjuksköterskan kan främja följsamhetenav ocklusionsbehandling. Studien genomfördes som en beskrivande, kvalitativ pilotstudie med induktiv ansats där data analyserades med manifest kvalitativ dataanalys. I resultatet framkom fem kategorier, vilka påvisade vikten av att ögonsjuksköterskor tänker på att bemöta vårdnadshavare och barn med ett icke-dömande förhållningssätt, att ge tydlig och individanpassad information både muntligt och skriftligt, samt olika praktiska råd kring själva genomförandet av behandlingen. I resultatet framkom även vikten av att skapa en personlig relation vårdpersonal, vårdnadshavare och barn emellan och betydelsen av täta återbesök, samt hur ett gott samarbete och stöd kollegor emellan kan främja följsamheten. Rekommendationer för vårdverksamhet är bland annat att ge vårdnadshavare och barn kontinuitet vid besöken och rekommendationer för utbildning inom omvårdnad att lära ut vikten av ett positivt förhållningssätt och att ställa öppna frågor. Större studier med samma syfte är av intresse, samt forskning kring hur information på internet påverkar följsamheten. / Adherence to occlusion therapy with amblyopic children is inadequate. There is limited with research about medical staff’s experiences of inadequate occlusion therapy. Therefore it is of importance investigating which arrangements ophthalmic nurses’ perceive can be taken to improve adherence. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate how ophthalmic nurses can improve adherence to occlusion therapy. The study was conducted as a descriptive, qualitative pilot study with an inductive approach where data was analyzed with manifest qualitative content analysis. Five different categories were revealed and showed the importance of a non-judgmental attitude among ophthalmic nurses towards the child and the caregivers, the importance of giving both verbal and written comprehensible, individualized information. Practical advice about carrying out the occlusion therapy emerged in the data along with the importance of creating a personal relationship between the medical staff and the child/caregiver. Frequent revisits were seen as important, and good support and cooperation between colleagues was believed to be able to improve adherence. Recommendations for care activities is to give the child and the caregivers continuity during visits and a recommendation for nursingeducation is to teach the importance of a positive attitude and open-ended questions. Larger studies with the same purpose are of interest, also further research of how information on the internet affects adherence to occlusion therapy.

Submitted by Liliane Ferreira (ljuvencia30@gmail.com) on 2018-09-04T15:33:47Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Márcia Cartaxo Barbosa - 2018.pdf: 6346404 bytes, checksum: 5342b20d9e2221bdf24236df500045eb (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-09-05T11:10:42Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Márcia Cartaxo Barbosa - 2018.pdf: 6346404 bytes, checksum: 5342b20d9e2221bdf24236df500045eb (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-05T11:10:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Márcia Cartaxo Barbosa - 2018.pdf: 6346404 bytes, checksum: 5342b20d9e2221bdf24236df500045eb (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-08-07 / This study was conducted to investigate visual results and compliance with occlusion therapy in strabismic amblyopia in a population sample. Data were selected from medical records of patients examinated at the Department of Strabismus of the Reference Center for Ophthalmology – CEROF, Federal University of Goias, Brazil, during the period from January 1st 2011 to January 1st 2017. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive analysis, frequency of occurrence and association tests (p=0.05). We found a significantly higher number of esotropia associated with vertical deviation in the study population. A total resolution of amblyopia with equal visual acuity between the eyes was obtained in 123 patients and an 8.6-fold higher relative risk of obtaining this outcome in the compliance group compared to the non-compliance group. The compliance was 87.5% (253 patients), with 50.9% (147 patients) of the total compliance subgroup (when the occlusion dose was between 80% and 100% of that prescribed). Poor compliance was related to higter final treatment age, higher evasion rate, higher rate of suspension of treatment due to inefficacy, less recurrence and lower rate of maintenance of prophylactic occlusion after treatment. They did not interfere with compliance: initial age of treatment, frequency of revision, origin, prophylactic occlusion prior to treatment, exchange of health care staff team, change of conduct during treatment and follow up of treatment by the parents or other persons. / Estudo retrospectivo para avaliar os resultados visuais e a adesão ao tratamento oclusivo da ambliopia estrabísmica e o perfil destes pacientes em uma amostra populacional. Foram analisados 289 casos do total de 2974 pacientes atendidos nos ambulatórios de estrabismo do Centro de Referência em Oftalmologia (CEROF) entre 01 de janeiro de 2011 e 01 de janeiro de 2017. Avaliou-se a acuidade visual inicial, medida aos 6 meses de tratamento e ao final do tratamento e a adesão a cada retorno dos pacientes ao longo do tratamento oclusivo. Foram feitas análises estatísticas nas formas descritiva, de frequência de ocorrência e de testes de associação (p=0,05). Encontrou-se um número significativamente maior de esotropia associada ao desvio vertical na população de estudo. Obteve-se a resolução total da ambliopia, com acuidade visual final igual entre os olhos, em 123 pacientes e um risco relativo 8,6 vezes maior de se obter este desfecho no grupo adesão em relação ao grupo não-adesão. Registrou- se adesão em 253 pacientes (87,5%), sendo 147 (50,9%) do subgrupo adesão total (quando a dose de oclusão ministrada se encontra entre 80% a 100% da prescrita). A não-adesão relacionou-se e a idade final de tratamento maior, maior taxa de evasão, maior taxa de alta por ineficácia, menor recidiva e menor taxa de manutenção de oclusão profilática após o tratamento. Não interferiram na adesão: idade inicial do tratamento, frequência de retornos, procedência, realização de oclusão profilática anterior ao tratamento, troca de equipe médica, mudança de conduta durante o tratamento e acompanhamento do tratamento pelos genitores ou outras pessoas.

Objetivo: Estudar os componentes refrativos da hipermetropia em crianças com ambliopia por esotropia, comparando os olhos amblíopes com os olhos contralaterais. Métodos: Foram incluídos 37 pacientes de 5 a 8 anos de idade, com hipermetropia bilateral e ambliopia por esotropia. Foi realizada avaliação oftalmológica completa, incluindo refratometria sob cicloplegia, ceratometria e biometria ultrassonográfica modo A. Foram registrados profundidade da câmara anterior, espessura do cristalino, profundidade da câmara vítrea e comprimento axial total. O poder refrativo do cristalino foi calculado pelas equações de Bennett. Para comparar erro refrativo, poder da córnea, poder calculado do cristalino e componentes ecobiométricos entre os olhos amblíopes e os olhos contralaterais foi empregado o teste t de Student pareado. Para avaliar a relação entre os principais componentes refrativos individuais e o erro refrativo foram empregados o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson e a análise de regressão linear. Foram construídos também modelos multivariados, incluindo comprimento axial, poder da córnea e poder do cristalino. Resultados: Os olhos amblíopes apresentaram hipermetropia mais alta, menor poder da córnea, maior poder do cristalino, menor profundidade da câmara vítrea e menor comprimento axial. Não houve diferença entre os olhos quanto à profundidade da câmara anterior ou à espessura do cristalino. A variável que apresentou correlação mais forte com o erro refrativo foi a razão comprimento axial/raio de curvatura da córnea (r = -0.92, p < 0.001 nos olhos amblíopes e r = - 0.87, p < 0.001 nos olhos contralaterais). O comprimento axial representou 39,2% da explicação da variabilidade do erro refrativo nos olhos amblíopes e 35,5% nos olhos contralaterais. O modelo que combinou comprimento axial e poder da córnea explicou 85,7% e 79,6% da variabilidade do erro refrativo, respectivamente. Houve correlação significante entre comprimento axial e poder da córnea, indicando diminuição do poder da córnea com o aumento do comprimento axial e os coeficientes de correlação foram semelhantes entre os olhos amblíopes (r = -0.53, p <0.001) e os olhos contralaterais (r = -0.57, p < 0.001). Houve correlação significante entre comprimento axial e poder do cristalino, indicando diminuição do poder do cristalino com o aumento do comprimento axial e os coeficientes de correlação também foram semelhantes entre os olhos amblíopes (r = -0.72, p < 0.001) e os olhos contralaterais (r = -0.69, p < 0.001). Conclusão: As correlações entre os principais componentes refrativos e sua contribuição individual para o erro refrativo foram semelhantes nos olhos amblíopes e nos olhos contralaterais de crianças com esotropia, a despeito da hipermetropia mais alta nos olhos amblíopes / Purpose: To study the refractive components of hyperopia in children with esotropic amblyopia, comparing amblyopic eyes with fellow eyes. Methods: Thirty-seven patients (5 to 8 years old) with bilateral hyperopia and esotropic amblyopia underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination, including cycloplegic refraction, keratometry and A-scan ultrasonography. Anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth and total axial length were recorded. The refractive power of the crystalline lens was calculated using Bennett`s equations. Paired Students t-tests were used to compare refractive error, corneal power, calculated lens power and ocular biometric measurements between amblyopic eyes and their fellow eyes. The relationship between the major oculometric parameters and refractive error was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients and linear regression. Multivariable models including axial length, corneal power and lens power were also constructed. Results: Amblyopic eyes were found to have significantly more hyperopic refraction, lesser corneal power, greater lens power, shorter vitreous chamber depth and shorter axial length, despite similar anterior chamber depth and lens thickness. The strongest correlation with refractive error was observed for the axial length/corneal radius ratio (r = -0.92, p < 0.001 for amblyopic and r = -0.87, p < 0.001 for fellow eyes). Axial length accounted for 39.2% of the refractive error variance in amblyopic eyes and 35.5% in fellow eyes. The combination of axial length and corneal power accounted for 85.7% and 79.6% of the refractive error variance respectively. A significant correlation was found between axial length and corneal power, indicating decreasing corneal power with increasing axial length, and they were similar for amblyopic eyes (r = -0.53, p < 0.001) and fellow eyes (r = -0.57, p < 0.001). A significant correlation was found between axial length and lens power, indicating decreasing lens power with increasing axial length, and they were also similar for amblyopic eyes (r = -0.72, p < 0.001) and fellow eyes (r = -0.69, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The correlations among the major refractive components and their individual contribution to refractive error were similar in amblyopic and non-amblyopic eyes in esotropic children, despite more hyperopic refraction in amblyopic eyes

Amblyopia is the leading cause of monocular visual impairment in children. Therapy for amblyopia is extremely beneficial in some children but ineffective in others. It is critical that the reasons for this discrepancy are understood. Emerging evidence indicates that current clinical protocols for the diagnosis of amblyopia may not be sufficiently sensitive in identifying individuals who, on more detailed examination, exhibit subtle structural defects of the eye. Presently, the magnitude of this problem is unknown. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of subtle retinal/optic nerve head defects in eyes diagnosed with amblyopia, to distinguish between possible explanations for the origin of such defects and to investigate the relationship between quantitative measures of retinal structure, retinal nerve fibre layer thickness and optic nerve head dimensions. Using the imaging technique of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) retinal structure has been investigated in detail, following the visual pathway across the retina from the fovea, via the paramacular bundle to the optic disc, where peripapillary retinal nerve fibre thickness has been imaged and subjected to detailed measures along with optic disc size and shape. The study formed two phases, the first imaging the eyes of visually normal adults and children, comparing them to amblyopes, both adults and children who had completed their treatment. The second phase, a longitudinal study, investigated retinal structure of amblyopic children undertaking occlusion therapy for the first time. By relating pre-therapy quantitative measures to the visual outcome the second phase of the study aimed to examine whether OCT imaging could identify children achieving a poor final outcome. The results show a clear picture of inter-ocular symmetry structure in all individuals, visually normal and amblyopic. Optic disc characteristics revealed no structural abnormalities in amblyopes, in any of the measured parameters, nor was there any association between the level of visual acuity and the measured structure. At the fovea differences were shown to occur in the presence of amblyopia, with thickening of the fovea and reduction of the foveal pit depth. The structural changes were found to be both bilateral and symmetrical with the fellow eye also affected. In the longitudinal phase of the study these changes were demonstrated to a greater extent in children who ¿failed¿ to respond to treatment. This bilateral, symmetrical structural change found at the fovea, which has not been previously reported, cannot therefore be the primary cause of the visual loss which has been diagnosed as amblyopia.