Prevalence and Types of Amblyopia among Primary School Children in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia

Background: Amblyopia is a unilateral or bilateral condition which results in visual reduction whilst the eye seems to be healthy. The main purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude and identify the types of amblyopia among primary school children in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 1287 school children age between 6 - 15 years from January to February 2015 in Gondar. Complete ocular examination was carried by qualified optometrists and structured check list was used to collection socio – demographic data. Children with presenting vision less than 6/9 were fully examined for case confirmation and best corrected visual acuity was used to determine the type of amblyopia. Data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences PSS 16 software computer package. Results: The prevalence of amblyopia was 4.7% (60). Anisometropic amblyopia and ametropic amblyopia each account 38.3%, while strabismic amblyopia, visual deprivation amblyopia and posterior segment abnormality contribute 6.7%% 8.3% and 8.3% respectively. Bilateral amblyopia was the most frequent 55% (33) and females account 56.7% (34). Conclusion: The magnitude of amblyopia was high in the study area. School screening programme for early detection and treatment is recommended to minimize the burden of visual loss due to amblyopia among primary school children in Gondar town.