Amblyopia: A Hidden Threat?*^*

* Supported in part by a USPHS grant (NB 4242) from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness.

Summary

Patricia and Ronald M. Deutsch (1965) recently attempted to develop the thesis that “A shocking number of children face partial blindness if their defective vision is not caught early and corrected.” And further, that, “Today, volunteer housewives in scores of communities are showing how this threat can be overcome.” The major arguments offered by the Deutschs to support their thesis are shown herein to be based on erroneous facts and misleading statements. Their thesis is therefore unacceptable, and the following statements are made to correct the misinformation contained in their article.

(a) For American children, the probable incidence of amblyopia (20/40 or worse acuity with best optical correction) is in the neighborhood of 1.0 to 1.5%

(b) There is no critical age for the successful treatment of amblyopia, although there may be some advantage for treatment at an early age. The treatment of amblyopia is not hopeless after the ages of 6 to 8 years, as is often stated.

(c) Amblyopia produces little if any handicap in most visual situations. The problem in amblyopia is more potential than existing–namely, loss of the better eye.

(d) The pre‐school vision screening program for lay volunteers, recommended by the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, is not designed to detect mainly amblyopia, but rather to uncover many ordinary vision problems. The crucial question is not whether volunteer housewives have demonstrated how the “threat” of amblyopia can be overcome by screening pre‐schoolers, but to what extent is amblyopia a “threat” when discovered after children enter grade school?

* Supported in part by a USPHS grant (NB 4242) from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness.

† Reprinted from the Journal of The American Optometric Association.

* Supported in part by a USPHS grant (NB 4242) from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness.

† Reprinted from the Journal of The American Optometric Association.

Notes

* Supported in part by a USPHS grant (NB 4242) from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness.

† Reprinted from the Journal of The American Optometric Association.