Prevalence of convergence insufficiency among Spanish school children aged 6 to 14 years

Clinical relevance: Convergence insufficiency (CI) at an early age can lead to learning difficulties affecting school performance. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of CI in a non-clinical population of Spanish children using well defined clinical criteria and to determine whether...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sánchez Cuadrado, Carla, Bueno Fernández, Sara, Cárdenas Rebollo, José Miguel, Palomo Álvarez, Catalina
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/5050
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/5050
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:617.75-053.2
612.846
Binocular vision
Convergence insufficiency
Non-strabismic binocular vision anomalies
School screening
Spanish children.
Optometría
Óptica fisiológica
Demografía (Sociología)
2209.15 Optometría
52 Demografía
Descripción
Sumario:Clinical relevance: Convergence insufficiency (CI) at an early age can lead to learning difficulties affecting school performance. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of CI in a non-clinical population of Spanish children using well defined clinical criteria and to determine whether sex is a risk factor. Methods: Visual acuity and binocular vision tests were performed in 628 children aged 6-14 years (mean age 9.6 ± 1.3 years) at three schools in the Madrid Community, Spain. To assess CI prevalence we used CITT (Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial) criteria. The three signs considered were: i) exophoria at least 4∆ greater at near than at far; ii) near break point of convergence (NPC) ≥ 6 cm; and iii) reduced positive fusional vergence (PFV) at near (≤ 15∆ base-out break or failed Sheard's criterion). Results: The CI prevalence detected was 5.30% (33 children). Proportions of children with one or two signs of CI were 23.76% (148 children) and 12.20% (76 children), respectively. No differences in these CI rates by sex were detected. Conclusion: The clinically significant CI prevalence observed here suggests the need for more binocular vision screening programmes in school settings.