News About Children’s Vision

Study Finds Farsightedness Associated With Other Children’s Vision Problems.April 2014 — Preschoolers with significan thyperopia (farsightedness) have a greater risk of other significant vision problems, according to a new study.Researchers at The Ohio State University College of Optometry and four other U.S. optometry schools evaluated the results of children’s eye exams performed for more than 4,000 Head Start preschoolers ages 3 to 5 as part of the Vision in Preschoolers (VIP) Study. For purposes of the study, children with greater than +3.25 diopters (D) of farsightedness were considered “hyperopic” and those with +3.25 D or less were considered “without hyperopia.”Compared with children without hyperopia, children with farsightedness greater than +3.25 D had a significantly higher risk of amblyopia (34.5 percent vs. 2.8 percent) and strabismus (17.0 percent vs. 2.2 percent). And more severe levels of hyperopia were associated with even higher risk of amblyopia and strabismus. For example, children with hyperopia of +5.00 D or greater had a 51.5 percent chance of amblyopia and 32.9 percent chance of strabismus.Children with hyperopia greater than +3.25 D also had a higher risk of anisometropia (26.9 percent vs. 5.1 percent) and astigmatism (29.4 percent vs. 10.3 percent) compared with children with farsightedness of +3.25 D or less. They also had reduced scores on stereoacuity tests, compared with scores of preschoolers “without hyperopia.”The study authors concluded the presence and magnitude of hyperopia among preschoolers were associated with higher risk of amblyopia, strabismus, anisometropia and astigmatism. Significant hyperopia also was associated with reduced stereoacuity — even among farsighted children with no amblyopia or strabismus, they said.A full report of the study appeared in the April 2014 issue of Optometry and Vision Science.Read the original article HERE.