PRIMARY SCHOOL SCREENING FOR AMBLYOPIA IN BAGHDAD

Background: Amblyopia or lazy eye this term means literally dullness of vision not complete blindness. It is a unilateral or bilateral decrease in form vision that is not fully attributable to organic ocular abnormalities, it is caused by form vision deprivation, abnormal binocular interaction or both during visual immaturity. Methods: This cross-sectional screening was carried out in 13 primary schools in Al-karkh district in Baghdad city. Those with visual acuity of 6/12 and worse or a difference of two lines and more between the two eyes on the chart which was not corrected with the pin hole were referred to the ophthalmologist for final diagnosis. Results: The predictive va1ue of a positive test was 70.79%, and the overall prevalence of amblyopia was 1.27%. Strabismic amblyopia was the largest type of amblyopia at a rate of 34.92%. Unilateral amblyopia forming 98.4% of the total amblyopic children. Positive family history of amblyopia among families of cases was significantly differ from that of the control group (p-value 0.05). Conclusion: The periodical visual examination as early as possible by an expert team to detect amblyopic cases, and identify underlining visual problems in order to start an appropriate treatment that may prevent the serious consequences.