Table of contents
Amblyopia
What's new
Updated 2023 AAO, 2019 AAFP, and 2017 USPSTF guidelines for the diagnosis and management of amblyopia.
Background
Overview
Definition
Amblyopia, often referred to as 'lazy eye,' is a neurological disease characterized by cortical visual impairment, with loss or lack of development of central vision in one eye that is unrelated to primary ocular pathology.
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Pathophysiology
Abnormal or inadequate stimulation of the visual system during its early developmental period results in amblyopia. Common etiologies include strabismus, refractive errors (anisometropia and high hyperopia), and structural ocular abnormalities (ptosis, corneal opacity, vitreous hemorrhage, and congenital cataract).
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Epidemiology
The prevalence of amblyopia in the US is estimated to be < 2,000 cases per 100,000 individuals.
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Disease course
The resulting alterations in the development of visual pathways cause clinical manifestations of visual impairment and permanent vision loss of the affected eye.
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Prognosis and risk of recurrence
Amblyopia is not associated with an increase in mortality.
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Guidelines
Key sources
The following summarized guidelines for the evaluation and management of amblyopia are prepared by our editorial team based on guidelines from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO 2023), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP 2019), and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF 2017)....
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Screening and diagnosis
Medical management
Nonpharmacologic interventions
Correction of refractive error: as per AAO 2023 guidelines, Treat refractive error as the initial step in the management of 0-17 years old patients with amblyopia.
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