Associations between anisometropia and depth of amblyopia in Benghazi, Libya

Background: Amblyopia is a disorder characterized by a decrease in the best-corrected visual acuity in one or both eyes with no clear structural anomalies or ocular pathology. There are three primary types of amblyopia: anisometropic, strabismic, and sensory deprivation amblyopia. Anisometropic amblyopia occurs in children having a difference in refractive error between the two eyes and occurs in the more ametropic eye. Furthermore, there is a strong association of anisometropia with strabismus. Aim: The study aimed to investigate the association between age, sex, laterality, and type of refractive error on the depth of anisometropic amblyopia. Settings and Design: This was a retrospective (observational) study. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 23.0 software. Materials and Methods: One hundred and nine patient's files with anisometropic amblyopia were investigated, who were followed in a pediatric eye clinic in Sohail Elatrash's eye hospital Benghazi, Libya, between January 2008 and December 2018. Results: There is no effect of the type of gender on the depth amblyopia with P = 0.57. Furthermore, there is no difference in the predominance of amblyopia between the right and left eye (P = 0.93). Age is correlated in a positive manner with the depth of amblyopia (P = 0.035). Conclusions: in our study, eye laterality and gender had no effect on the depth of anisometropic amblyopia. The age and the smallest amount of astigmatism difference between both eyes had a direct proportion on the depth of anisometropic amblyopia.