Amblyopia linked to increased risk of disease

Children with amblyopia are more likely to experience hypertension, obesity, increased risk of heart attack and metabolic syndrome in adulthood, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

The researchers analysed data from 126,000 participants aged between 40 and 69 years and confirmed that 82.2% of 3,238 participants who had amblyopia as a child had reduced vision in one eye as an adult.

Findings also showed that participants with amblyopia as a child had 29% higher odds of developing diabetes, 25% higher odds of having hypertension and 16% higher odds of having obesity, plus an increased risk of heart attack.

In the study, published in eClinicalMedicine, the authors stressed that while they had identified a correlation, their research did not show a causal relationship between amblyopia and ill health in adulthood.