Amblyopia: A Silent Catastrophe – A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Care Center in Northeast India

ABSTRACT Background Amblyopia is a leading cause of preventable visual impairment, particularly when diagnosis and treatment are delayed beyond the critical period of visual development. Aim To analyze the demographic profile, clinical types, refractive status, and response to therapy in patients diagnosed with amblyopia at a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods This retrospective study analyzed hospital records of amblyopic patients attending the Ophthalmology Department of Tezpur Medical College & Hospital between January 2023 and December 2025. Patients were categorized based on age, sex, subtype of amblyopia, refractive status, and treatment response. Improvement was defined as a gain of ≥2 Snellen lines in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Successful treatment was defined as BCVA of 6/9 ±2 Snellen lines or equal vision in both eyes. Results A total of 108 patients (63 males, 45 females) with amblyopia were identified. The mean age was 26.5 years. Anisometropic amblyopia (46.3%) was the most common subtype, followed by iso-ametropic (23.1%) and strabismic amblyopia (18.5%). Only 46.3% of patients presented with complaints related to the amblyopic eye. Amblyopia therapy was instituted in 18 patients, of whom 11 (61.1%) achieved successful visual outcomes. Maximum improvement was observed in myopic anisometropic amblyopia, while the least improvement was seen in strabismic and stimulus deprivation amblyopia. Conclusion Late presentation and lack of awareness remain major barriers to successful amblyopia management. Early screening, timely refractive correction, and structured amblyopia therapy significantly improve visual outcomes, particularly in younger patients. Keywords: Amblyopia, Anisometropia, Strabismus, Visual deprivation, Occlusion therapy