prevalence of amblyopia in school children in mashhad

purpose: to determine the prevalence of amblyopia and its determinants in students of region 1 in mashhad, 2006. methods: using randomized cluster sampling, 2510 students were selected to undergo ophthalmologic examinations. amblyopia was defined as corrected visual acuity of 8/10 or less in either eye. results: of the 2510 selected student, 2150 were examined (85.6% participation rate). the prevalence of amblyopia was 1.9% (95% confidence interval [ci], 0.94 to 2.9) including 2.1% in female and 1.7% in male subjects (p=0.620). amblyopia was detected in right eye in 31.7%, left eye in 41.5% and both eyes in 26.8%. about 66% of amblyopic cases had refractive errors. conclusion: the prevalence of amblyopia in students of region 1 in mashhad is comparable to that of other parts of the country. refractive error is a significant risk factor for occurring amblyopia.