Pinhole Fitted Spectacle: An Effective Way of Treating Amblyopia in Children aged 05 -15 years
Keywords:
Amblyopia, Pinhole Occluder, Refractive Amblyopia, Paediatric Ophthalmology, Visual Acuity, ComplianceAbstract
Background: Amblyopia is the most common cause of preventable monocular visual impairment in children. Traditional occlusion therapies, though effective, but also encountered with high failure rate often. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a single pinhole occluder fixed over the top of spectacles lens a non-invasive better alternative for improving visual acuity in children with refractive amblyopia.
Aim: To determine the visual outcome in amblyopic children aged 5–15 years after fitting a single pinhole occluder over their corrective spectacles.
Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at ESIC Hospital, New Delhi, involving 30 children aged 5–15 years diagnosed with refractive amblyopia. After one month of optical adaptation with prescribed spectacles, a single pinhole occluder was mounted over the amblyopic eye (or both eyes in bilateral cases). Visual acuity was assessed using the Log MAR chart at baseline and at three subsequent follow-ups. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v23.0 with significance set at p<0.05.
Results: The mean Log MAR visual acuity significantly improved in both eyes. In the right eye, acuity improved from 0.37 ± 0.30 at baseline to 0.21 ± 0.18 at the third follow-up (p=0.0462). The left eye showed improvement from 0.45 ± 0.33 to 0.26 ± 0.17 (p=0.0110). Both isometropic and anisometropic amblyopia responded well, with no statistically significant association between the type of amblyopia and the refractive error subtype (p=0.3046).
Conclusion: Pinhole-fitted spectacles are a simple, economical, effective, and child-friendly adjunct for the treatment of refractive amblyopia. They offer a promising alternative to traditional occlusion therapy, particularly in cases where compliance is a challenge.
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