Childhood Amblyopia Linked to Cardiometabolic Dysfunction in Adults

WEDNESDAY, March 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Adults who had childhood amblyopia have greater cardiometabolic dysfunction, according to a study published online March 7 in eClinicalMedicine.

Siegfried Karl Wagner, M.D., from University College London, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of 126,399 U.K. Biobank participants who underwent ocular examination to examine whether children with amblyopia have an increased risk for cardiometabolic disorders in adult life.

The researchers found that the 2,647 individuals with persisting amblyopia were more likely to be obese and have hypertension and diabetes compared with 18,481 controls without amblyopia (adjusted odds ratios, 1.16, 1.25, and 1.29, respectively). Increased risks for myocardial infarction and death were also seen in association with amblyopia (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.38 and 1.36, respectively). Amblyopic eyes had significantly increased venular caliber and increased tortuosity on retinal imaging, but had lower fractal dimension and a thinner ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGC-IPL). For individuals with amblyopia, the unaffected fellow eyes had a significantly lower retinal fractal dimension and thinner mGC-IPL. Smaller optic nerve disc height and width were seen for amblyopic eyes with a persisting visual deficit compared with control eyes.

“These findings suggest generalized early life neurodevelopmental dysregulation (here captured in a common neurodevelopmental disorder) is associated with cardiometabolic conditions in later life,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text