Objective: To investigate the prevalence, type and distribution of astigmatism in children with amblyopia.
Methods: A total of 2023 children with amblyopia (aged 4-11 years, 3657 eyes) were recruited. The prevalence of astigmatism was investigated.
Results: Of the 3657 amblyopic eyes, 91.9% presented astigmatism (≥0.5 D). The proportion of eyes with astigmatism decreased with the increasing age. Compound hyperopic astigmatism was the most common type of astigmatism (38.8%) and its prevalence increased with the increasing age in children with amblyopia. Astigmatism with the rule was the most common (90.1%) in the axial distribution test. There were statistical significances in the axial distribution of astigmatism in different age groups. Statistical significances were also found in the degree, type and axis of astigmatism among the children with mild, moderate and severe amblyopia (P<0.05).
Conclusions: The prevalence of astigmatism in children with amblyopia is high but is reduced with age. The age and the degree of amblyopia might be influential factors in the distribution of astigmatism.