Use of Plusoptix as a screening method for refractive ambliopia

PURPOSE: Highlighting the differences in the objective refraction using the Plusoptix AO9 comparing them with the refraction performed with TOPCON KR-8900 autorefractor. METHODS: Prospective study for 3 months held in the Ophthalmology Clinic in Iasi, Hospital Sf. Spiridon on a total of 39 children (21 girls and 18 boys) with mean age of 10.61 +/- 5.67 years. Clinical parameters: sex, age, objective refraction obtained with Plusoptix and with autorefractor corrected visual acuity (with different methods depending on each patient age), ortoptic examination (strabic deviation, binocular vision), the presence of symetry/asymetry while measuring with Plusoptix. The results were statistically processed by F-TEST calculating the correlation coefficient, standard deviation, significance level (using the spherical equivalent of the obtained values). RESULTS: Age limits of the studied cases ranged between 2-23 years. Visual acuity of children who had cooperate was between 0.2-1 with correction, achieving best values on right eye than left eye. 8 cases (20.51%) had large differences between measurements made with Plusoptix and autorefractor, half of that (4 cases) had strabismus. Three of these cases were with small hypermetropia and one with small myopia (Plusoptix shows a lower value). In 2 cases occurred higher differences (about 2-2,5D) between the 2 measurements, in patients with average hypermetropia. Plusoptix refraction was not possible at high hypermetropia or high myopia. CONCLUSIONS: This type of determining objective refraction using Plusoptix is a useful method of screening for discovery of refractive errors that can cause refractive amblyopia in young children and in those cases with a difficult collaboration. Because there are differences betweeti this 2 methods, for children with refractive errors are recommended further exploration to determine the appropriate optical correction. Plusoptix is a limited method because it cannot detect the exact values in those cases with high hypermetropia or high myopia.