OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupoint thread METHODS: A total of 60 children with refractive amblyopia were randomized into an observation group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a control group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off). In the control group, comprehensive therapy of eye covering of intact side and family refined performance was adopted. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, acupoint thread RESULTS: After treatment, the corrected vision was increased compared before treatment in the both groups ( CONCLUSION Acupoint thread
Acupuncture Points ; Amblyopia/therapy* ; Child ; Humans ; Retina ; Vision, Ocular ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To investigate the changes in corneal higher-order aberration (HOA) during amblyopia treatment and the correlation between HOA and astigmatism in hyperopic amblyopia children. METHODS: In this retrospective study, a total of 72 eyes from 72 patients ranging in age from 38 to 161 months were included. Patients were divided into two groups based on the degree of astigmatism. Corneal HOA was measured using a KR-1W aberrometer at the initial visit and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Correlation analysis was performed to assess the association between HOA and astigmatism. RESULTS: A total of 72 patients were enrolled in this study, 37 of which were classified as belonging to the higher astigmatism group, while 35 were assigned to the lower astigmatism group. There was a statistically significant difference in success rate between the higher and lower astigmatism groups. In both groups, all corneal HOAs were significantly reduced during amblyopia treatment. When comparing the two groups, a significant difference in coma HOA at the 12-month follow-up was detected (p = 0.043). In the Pearson correlation test, coma HOA at the 12-month follow-up demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with astigmatism and a stronger correlation with astigmatism in the higher astigmatism group than in the lower astigmatism group (coefficient values, 0.383 and 0.284 as well as p = 0.021 and p = 0.038, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: HOA, particularly coma HOA, correlated with astigmatism and could exert effects in cases involving hyperopic amblyopia.
Aberrometry ; Adolescent ; Amblyopia/*physiopathology ; Astigmatism/*physiopathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Corneal Topography ; Corneal Wavefront Aberration/diagnosis/*physiopathology ; Eyeglasses ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperopia/*physiopathology/therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity/physiology

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between higher-order aberrations (HOAs) and amblyopia treatment in children with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia. METHODS: The medical records of hyperopic amblyopia patients with both spherical anisometropia of 1.00 diopter (D) or more and astigmatic anisometropia of less than 1.00 D were reviewed retrospectively. Based on the results of the amblyopia treatment, patients were divided into two groups: treatment successes and failures. Using the degree of spherical anisometropia, subjects were categorized into mild, moderate, or severe groups. Ocular, corneal, and internal HOAs were measured using a KR-1W aberrometer at the initial visit, and at 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: The results of the 45 (21 males and 24 females) hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia patients who completed the 12-month follow-up examinations were analyzed. The mean patient age at the initial visit was 70.3 months. In total, 28 patients (62.2%) had successful amblyopia treatments and 17 patients (37.8%) failed treatment after 12 months. Among the patient population, 24 (53.3%) had mild hyperopic anisometropia and 21 (46.7%) had moderate hyperopic anisometropia. When comparing the two groups (i.e., the success and failure groups), ocular spherical aberrations and internal spherical aberrations in the amblyopic eyes were significantly higher in the failure group at every follow-up point. There were no significant differences in any of the HOAs between mild and moderate cases of hyperopic anisometropia at any follow-up. When the amblyopic and fellow eyes were compared between the groups there were no significant differences in any of the HOAs. CONCLUSIONS: HOAs, particularly ocular spherical aberrations and internal spherical aberrations, should be considered as reasons for failed amblyopia treatment.
Aged ; Amblyopia/complications/physiopathology/*therapy ; Anisometropia/complications/physiopathology/*therapy ; Cornea/*pathology/physiopathology ; *Eyeglasses ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperopia/complications/physiopathology/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Refraction, Ocular/*physiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; *Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between higher-order aberrations (HOAs) and amblyopia treatment in children with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia. METHODS: The medical records of hyperopic amblyopia patients with both spherical anisometropia of 1.00 diopter (D) or more and astigmatic anisometropia of less than 1.00 D were reviewed retrospectively. Based on the results of the amblyopia treatment, patients were divided into two groups: treatment successes and failures. Using the degree of spherical anisometropia, subjects were categorized into mild, moderate, or severe groups. Ocular, corneal, and internal HOAs were measured using a KR-1W aberrometer at the initial visit, and at 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: The results of the 45 (21 males and 24 females) hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia patients who completed the 12-month follow-up examinations were analyzed. The mean patient age at the initial visit was 70.3 months. In total, 28 patients (62.2%) had successful amblyopia treatments and 17 patients (37.8%) failed treatment after 12 months. Among the patient population, 24 (53.3%) had mild hyperopic anisometropia and 21 (46.7%) had moderate hyperopic anisometropia. When comparing the two groups (i.e., the success and failure groups), ocular spherical aberrations and internal spherical aberrations in the amblyopic eyes were significantly higher in the failure group at every follow-up point. There were no significant differences in any of the HOAs between mild and moderate cases of hyperopic anisometropia at any follow-up. When the amblyopic and fellow eyes were compared between the groups there were no significant differences in any of the HOAs. CONCLUSIONS: HOAs, particularly ocular spherical aberrations and internal spherical aberrations, should be considered as reasons for failed amblyopia treatment.
Aged ; Amblyopia/complications/physiopathology/*therapy ; Anisometropia/complications/physiopathology/*therapy ; Cornea/*pathology/physiopathology ; *Eyeglasses ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperopia/complications/physiopathology/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Refraction, Ocular/*physiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; *Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVEA systematic review of literature was performed to compare various visual function parameters including the final visual acuity outcome and/or adverse events between corneal refractive surgery (CLRS) and phakic intraocular lens implantation (p-IOLi) in the treatment of refractive amblyopic children.

DATA SOURCESTwo reviewers independently searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Controlled Trials Register databases for publications from 1991 to 2013.

STUDY SELECTIONThere were 25 articles, including 597 patients and 682 eyes, was included in CLRS group. Among them, 21 articles reported the use of CLRS in the treatment of myopic anisometropia for 318 patients (13 photorefractive keratectomy or laser epithelial keratomileusis and eight laser in situ keratomileusis). And 11 articles had the results of CLRS in treating hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia children. Eleven articles reported the effect of p-IOLi for treating high myopia or anisometropic amblyopia, including 61 patients (75 eyes). Age, pre- and postoperation best-corrected vision acuity (BCVA), and spherical equivalent (SE) were compared in CLRS and p-IOLi groups.

RESULTSThe average age of CLRS group and p-IOLi group has no statistically significant difference. The SE in CLRS group for myopic anisometropia amblyopia patients was (-10.13 ± 2.73) diopters (D) and for hyperopic anisometropia amblyopia patients was (5.58 ± 1.28) D. In p-IOLi group the SE was (-14.01 ± 1.93) D. BCVA was improved significantly in both groups, and even better in p-IOLi group. Refractive errors were corrected in both groups, but there was no clinically significant difference in final SE between each group. More than one-half of the children had improved binocular fusion and stereopsis function in both groups.

CONCLUSIONSBoth CLRS group and p-IOLi group showed their advantage in treating refractive amblyopia in children. In comparing p-IOLi with CLRS for treatment of refractive amblyopia, no statistically significant difference in final BCVA was observed.

Amblyopia ; etiology ; surgery ; therapy ; Anisometropia ; complications ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Myopia ; complications

BACKGROUNDAmblyopia is a common disease for children. The main treatment approach for amblyopia is to patch the normally sighted eye and force the use of the amblyopic eye. However, patching treatment in children may negatively impact psychological well-being of both the child and family. At present, no specific questionnaire is available to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of amblyopic treatment for children and their families in China. The purpose of our study was to develop a Chinese version of patching treatment questionnaire, and evaluate its reliability and validity.

METHODSThe original patching treatment questionnaire of amblyopia treatment index (ATI) was translated into Chinese. Amblyopic patients aged 4-9 years receiving patching 4-8 hours per day or full-time were recruited. The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the patching treatment questionnaire were determined by internal consistency, test-retest reliability, item-scale correlations, and construct validity. The associated baseline factors and the questionnaire responses were assessed.

RESULTSOne hundred and nine children with amblyopia treated with patching were enrolled. Distribution of response options for individual items and correlation with the respective subscale were calculated. Factor analysis revealed that 16 of the 21 items were loaded in the three subscales as follows: "adverse effects" of treatment, "difficulties with compliance" and "social stigma" of treatment. Internal consistency values measured by Cronbach's α coefficient (0.768) and split-half coefficient (0.790) were satisfactory for the total scales. The intra-class correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.998. No significant difference was found between the overall questionnaire scores and children's age, sex, baseline visual acuity of amblyopic eyes, improvement of the amblyopic eye, or patching time.

CONCLUSIONSWe developed a Chinese version of the patching treatment questionnaire with satisfactory reliability and validity. Validation in a patch-treated pediatric amblyopic population indicated that the questionnaire may be useful for Chinese children.

Amblyopia ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Atropine ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Sensory Deprivation ; physiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture-moxibustion for the treatment of agrypnia was systematically reviewed. The clinical randomized controlled trial (RCT) of acupuncture-moxibustion for agrypnia were collected. The literature and document on acupuncture-moxibustion RCT for the treatment of agrypnia that published from January of 2001 to March of 2012 was searched with computer in PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP database. According to Cochrane Handbook 5. 1. 0, the bias risk and quality assessment were performed on every included trial and RevMan 5. 0 software was applied to make the Meta analysis. Totally 14 researches were included, involving 2662 cases. The Meta analysis showed that the differences of total effective rate between acupuncture-moxibustion and clinical routine treatment were significant [RR = 1.16, 95% CI (1.12, 1.19), Z = 9.32, P < 0.000 01]. The results indicate that total effective rate of acupuncture-moxibustion for agrypnia is obviously superior to that of clinical routine treatment, meaning clinical efficacy of acupuncture-moxibustion is served credit.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Amblyopia ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Moxibustion

INTRODUCTIONAvailable data on traumatic cataract in Asian children is primarily confined to South Asian countries. We aimed to describe the demographics, nature of injury and visual outcomes of Malaysian children with traumatic cataract from a suburban area, and discuss the literature on Asian children with this condition.

METHODSWe conducted a retrospective study of 29 children below 17 years of age who were diagnosed with traumatic paediatric cataract and who attended Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia, between January 2000 and December 2010. Follow-up periods ranged from 12 to 120 months. Demographic data, clinical features, mechanism and extent of injury, and final visual outcome were recorded.

RESULTSThe study population was predominantly male. The right eye was injured in 62.07% of patients. A majority of patients had penetrating injuries, with the most common cause being injury by an organic foreign body (24.14%). Presenting visual acuity worse than 6/60 was observed in 68.97% of patients. Only 34.48% of patients had a final corrected visual acuity of 6/12 and better. 55.18% of patients were operated on within less than one month of their injuries. A majority of children sustained concurrent injuries to the anterior segment structures. Corneal opacity and amblyopia were the most common causes of poor final visual acuity.

CONCLUSIONHealth education and awareness are essential tools that can prevent avoidable blindness due to traumatic cataract in the paediatric population. The importance of rehabilitation programmes for these patients should be emphasised.

Adolescent ; Amblyopia ; therapy ; Cataract ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Corneal Opacity ; therapy ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Eye Injuries ; therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant ; Malaysia ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Suburban Population ; Treatment Outcome ; Vision, Ocular ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVETo explore electrophysiology mechanism of acupuncture for treatment and prevention of visual deprivation effect.

METHODSEighteen healthy 15-day Evans rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group and an acupuncture group, 6 rats in each one. Deprivation amblyopia model was established by monocular eyelid suture in the model group and acupuncture group. Acupuncture was applied at "Jingming" (BL 1), "Chengqi" (ST 1), "Qiuhou" (EX-HN 7) and "Cuanzhu" (BL 2) in the acupuncture group. The bilateral acupoints were selected alternately, one side for a day, and totally 14 days were required. The effect of acupuncture on visual evoked potential in different spatial frequencies was observed.

METHODSUnder three different kinds of spatial frequencies of 2 X 2, 4 X 4 and 8 X 8, compared with normal group, there was obvious visual deprivation effect in the model group where P1 peak latency was delayed (P<0.01) while N1 -P1 amplitude value was decreased (P<0.01). Compared with model group, P1 peak latency was obviously ahead of time (P<0.01) while N1-P1 amplitude value was increased (P<0.01) in the acupuncture group, there was no statistical significance compared with normal group (P>0.05). Under spatial frequency of 4 X 4, N1-P1 amplitude value was maximum in the normal group and acupuncture group. With this spatial frequency the rat's eye had best resolving ability, indicating it could be the best spatial frequency for rat visual system.

CONCLUSIONThe visual system has obvious electrophysiology plasticity in sensitive period. Acupuncture treatment could adjust visual deprivation-induced suppression and slow of visual response in order to antagonism deprivation effect.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Amblyopia ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Animals ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Long-Evans

It has been found by the author that among the researches concerning acupuncture in the treatment of amblyopia, only anisometropic amblyopia has noticeable results with treatment. Based on the previous publications, a hypothesis theory of self biological single eye occlusion is displayed particularly for simplex anisometropic amblyopia. It is also reminded that amblyopia acupuncture treatment does not always have sufficient RCTs for clinical research, so it couldn't be promoted as a normalized clinic treatment measure on an international base. It is also mentioned that reports from mainland China present a significant discrepancy with that from international in terms of successful treatment percentage. This is probably caused by the disagreement of amblyopia test methods and clinical standards. Some important considerations and key points that require particular attention during amblyopia acupuncture treatment and several recommendations on development and directions for further research are also put forward.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Amblyopia ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male