Photoscreening for amblyopia risk factors assessment in young children: A systematic review with meta-analysis

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2022

Authors

Ferreira, A (Author) FMUP; Vieira, R (Author) Other; Maia, S (Author) Other; Miranda, V (Author) Other; Parreira, R (Author) Other; Meneres, P (Author) Other

Journal

Title: European Journal of Ophthalmology

ISSN: 1120-6721

Publisher: WICHTIG PUBLISHING

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00W-JSV

DOI: 10.1177/11206721221099777

Abstract (EN): Purpose Amblyopia is a leading cause of preventable and treatable vision loss in the pediatric population. Instrument-based screening of amblyopia-risk factors is being widely adopted but the audit of its results is still lacking. We sought to review the existing evidence regarding the outcomes of photoscreening applied to children under the age of three years. Methods A three-database search (Pubmed, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus) was performed from inception to March 2021. A meta-analysis of proportions was conducted to summarize the referral rate, untestable rate and positive predictive value (PPV). Results Thirteen studies were selected among 705 original abstracts. The quantitative analysis included twelve studies enrolling 64,041 children. Of these, 13% (95%CI: 7-19%) were referred for further confirmation of the screening result. Astigmatism was the most common diagnosis both after screening and after ophthalmologic assessment of referred children. The pooled untestable rate and PPV were 8% (95%CI: 3-15%) and 56% (95%CI: 40-71%), respectively. Conclusion There is no global consensus on the optimal age, frequency or what magnitude of refractive error must be considered an amblyopia-risk factor. Optimization of referral criteria is therefore warranted.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 12