Adults who had amblyopia (“lazy eye”) in childhood are more likely to experience hypertension, obesity and metabolic syndrome in adulthood, as well as an increased risk of heart attack, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.
By publishing the study in eMedicineClinicalThe authors emphasize that while they have identified a correlation, their research does not show a causal relationship between amblyopia and poor health in adulthood.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 126,000 participants aged 40 to 69 from the UK Biobank cohort, who had undergone an eye examination.
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 cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease (i.e., 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 of 3,238 participants who reported having a “lazy eye” as children, 82.2% had persistent reduced vision in one eye as adults.
The findings showed that participants with amblyopia as children were 29% more likely to develop diabetes, 25% more likely to have hypertension, and 16% more likely to be obese. They also had a higher risk of having a heart attack, even when other risk factors for these conditions (for example, other diseases, ethnicity, and social class) were taken into account.
This increased risk of health problems was found not only among those whose vision problems persisted, but also, to some extent, in participants who had had amblyopia as children and 20/20 vision as adults, although the correlation was not as strong. strong.
Corresponding author Professor Jugnoo Rahi (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Great Ormond Street Hospital) said: “Amblyopia is an eye condition that affects up to four in 100 children.In the UK, all children are supposed to have an eye examination before the age of five, to ensure prompt diagnosis and relevant ophthalmic treatment.
“It is rare to have a ‘marker’ in childhood that is associated with an increased risk of serious disease in adulthood, and also one that is measured and known for each child, due to population screening.
“The large number of affected children and their families may want to consider our findings as an additional incentive to try to achieve healthy lifestyles from childhood.”
Amblyopia occurs when vision in one eye does not develop properly and can be triggered by squinting or being farsighted.
It is a neurodevelopmental condition that develops when there is a failure in the way the brain and eye work together and the brain cannot properly process the visual signal from the affected eye. Because it usually causes reduced vision in only one eye, many children do not notice anything wrong with their vision and are only diagnosed through an eye exam that is performed between four and five years of age.
A recent report from the Academy of Medical Sciences*, involving researchers from UCL’s Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, urged policymakers to address the deteriorating physical and mental health of children under five in the UK and prioritize children’s health.
The team hopes their new research will help reinforce this message and highlight how childhood health lays the foundation for adult health.
First author Dr Siegfried Wagner (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital) said: “Vision and eyes are sentinels of overall health: whether it’s heart disease or metabolic dysfunction, they are closely linked. with other organ systems. This is one of the reasons we test for good vision in both eyes.
‘We emphasize that our research does not show a causal relationship between amblyopia and poor health in adulthood. Our research means that the ‘average’ adult who had amblyopia as a child is more likely to develop these disorders than the ‘average’ adult.’ average’ who had it “I don’t have amblyopia. “The findings do not mean that all children with amblyopia will inevitably develop cardiometabolic disorders in adult life.”
The research was carried out in collaboration with the University of the Aegean, the University of Leicester, King’s College London, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Center (BRC) at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Institute of Ophthalmology and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. NIHR BRC at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The work was funded by the Medical Research Council, the NIHR and the Ulverscroft Foundation.