Prevalence and associated factors of amblyopia among children aged 515 years living in Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Background: Amblyopia is a visual development abnormality that occurs in either one or both eyes, which ranges from 0.14% to 12.9% globally. It occurs during childhood resulting in visual impairment if left untreated. Estimating the prevalence and associated factors of amblyopia is crucial for the establishment of vision screening programs for timely intervention. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of amblyopia among children aged 5-15 years in Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted on 388 children aged 5-15 years selected with a multi-stage sampling technique. The data was collected using a pretested structured questionnaires, check lists and ophthalmic equipment’s through questionnaire interview and physical eye examination from June 29, 2020 to September 4, 2020. The descriptive findings were presented using summary statistics and tables. Variables with a p value < 0.05 in the multivariable binary logistic regression were considered as statistically significant factors for prevalence of amblyopia. The fitness of the model was checked by Hosmer and Lemshow. Results: A total of 388 children were participated in the study (response rate of 91.9%). The mean age of participants with standard deviation was 9.45±2.9 years. The prevalence of amblyopia was 5.2% (95% CI, 3.1% - 7.5%). Parents’ history of strabismus (AOR 3.10; 95% CI, 1.06-9.02), history of participants strabismus (AOR 6.85; 95% CI, 1.8725.11)

and history of participants visual deprivation (AOR 4.26; 95% CI, 1.19-15.19) were significantly associated with amblyopia. Conclusion: This study showed that amblyopia is still a public health issue among children aged between 5-15 years in Gondar city. History of visual deprivation on children, children history of strabismus and parents’ history of strabismus were statistically significant factors associated with amblyopia in children. Therefore, it is better to start vision screening service for children at community level Keywords: Amblyopia, children, Gondar city, Ethiopia