People who had amblyopia (‘lazy eye’) in childhood are more likely to experience high blood pressure, obesity and metabolic syndrome in adulthood, as well as an increased risk of heart attack, according to a new study by UCL researchers. also increases.
Publishing the study in eClinicalMedicine, the authors emphasize that although they have identified a correlation, their research does not show a causal relationship between amblyopia and poor health in adulthood.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 126,000 participants aged 40 to 69 from the UK Biobank cohort who had undergone ophthalmological examinations.
During recruitment, participants were asked whether they had been treated for amblyopia in childhood and whether they still had the condition in adulthood. They were also asked if they had a medical diagnosis of diabetes, high blood pressure, or cardio/cerebrovascular disease (ie, angina, heart attack, stroke).
Meanwhile, their BMI (body mass index), blood glucose and cholesterol levels were also measured and mortality was monitored.
The researchers confirmed that among 3,238 participants who complained of ‘lazy eye’ in childhood, 82.2% had persistently reduced vision in one eye as adults.
The findings showed that participants who suffered from amblyopia in childhood were 29% more likely to develop diabetes, 25% more likely to have high blood pressure and 16% more likely to be obese. They also had an increased risk of heart attack – even when other risk factors for these conditions (such as other disease, ethnicity, and social class) were taken into account.
This increased risk of health problems was found not only in those whose vision problems persisted, but also to a lesser extent in participants who had amblyopia in childhood and problems with 20/20 vision as an adult. However the correlation was not that strong.
Corresponding author, Professor Jugnu Rahi (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Great Ormond Street Hospital) said: “Amblyopia is an eye condition that affects four in 100 children. In the UK, All children are affected. A vision test should be performed before the age of five to ensure early diagnosis and relevant eye treatment.
“It is rare to have a ‘marker’ in childhood that is associated with increased risk of serious disease in adult life, and also one that is measured and known for every child – because of population screening.
“The large number of affected children and their families may want to think of our findings as an additional incentive to try to achieve a healthy lifestyle from childhood.”
Amblyopia occurs when vision in one eye does not develop properly and may result from squinting or a long period of vision loss.
It is a neurodevelopmental condition that develops when there is a disturbance in the way the brain and eye work together and the brain cannot properly process the visual signal from the affected eye. Since it usually reduces vision in only one eye, many children do not notice anything wrong with their vision and are only diagnosed through a vision test done at four to five years of age.
A recent report by the Academy of Medical Sciences*, involving some researchers from the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health, calls on policymakers to pay attention to the declining physical and mental health of children under five in the UK and to strengthen child health A call has been made to give priority.
The team hopes their new research will help reinforce this message and shed light on how child health lays the foundation for adult health.
First author, Dr Siegfried Wagner (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital) said: “Vision and the eyes are sentinels for overall health – whether cardiovascular disease or metabolic disorders, they are closely linked with other organ systems This is one of the reasons we screen for good vision in both eyes.
“We emphasize that our research does not show any causal relationship between amblyopia and poor health in adulthood. Our research means that the ‘average’ adult who had amblyopia in childhood is more likely to develop these disorders than the ‘average’ adult who did not have amblyopia. The findings do not mean that every child with amblyopia will necessarily develop cardiometabolic disorders in adult life.
