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Purpose: The evaluation of visual impairment requires the measurement of visual acuity with a validated and standard logMAR visual acuity chart. We aimed to construct and validate new logMAR visual acuity chart in Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Assamese). Methods: The commonly used font in each language was chosen as the reference and designed to fit the 5 × 5 grid (Adobe Photoshop). Ten letters (easiest to difficult) around median legibility score calculated for each language based on the results of legibility experiment and differing by 10% were selected. The chart was constructed based on the standard recommendations. The repeatability of charts was tested and also compared with a standard English Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) logMAR chart for validation. Results: A total of 14 rows (1.0 to -0.3 logMAR) with five letters in each line were designed with the range of row legibility between 4.7 and 5.3 for all the language charts. Each chart showed good repeatability, and a maximum difference of four letters was noted. The median difference in visual acuity was 0.16 logMAR for Urdu and Assamese chart compared to ETDRS English chart. Hindi and Malayalam chart had a median difference of 0.12 logMAR. When compared to the English chart a median difference of 0.14 logMAR was noted in Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali chart. Conclusion: The newly developed Indian language visual acuity charts are designed based on the standard recommendations and will help to assess visual impairment in people of these languages across the country.

Purpose: To study the prevalence, determine the magnitude, and cause of amblyopia among the children aged 6 months to 16 years in Kamrup district, Assam, India. Methods: Among a total of 39,651 children between 6 months and 16 years of age, door-to-door screening was conducted by trained workers. For children above 5 years of age who failed to read the 6/9 line, camps were conducted in the nearby schools. Children below 5 years of age were directly referred to the tertiary eye care institute. After visual acuity assessment at the institute, cycloplegic refraction and complete ophthalmic examination were done to rule out other causes of diminution of vision. Axial length measurement and corneal topography were performed in children with high refractive errors. Results: Of the total 39,651 children screened, 469 were diagnosed to have amblyopia at the camp and 223 were diagnosed at the institute. The prevalence of amblyopia was 1.75%. Amblyopia was more common among the males (52.50%) as compared to females. Maximum number of patients were found in the age group of 11–16 (63.58%). Refractive amblyopia was found to be the most common cause of amblyopia (45.29%). In children below 5 years, deprivation amblyopia and strabismic amblyopia were more common. Conclusion: Awareness of amblyopia among the parents is essential for early detection and treatment of the disease, which will, in turn, reduce the burden of childhood visual impairment.

Aim: To report the clinical profile of non-strabismic binocular vision anomalies (NSBVA) in patients with asthenopia in North-East India. Materials and methods: A hospital based study was conducted on 131 patients from age group 10-40 years attending the vision therapy clinic. Patients were divided into the age groups 10-20 years, 21-30 years and 31-40 years. A detailed orthoptic evaluation was carried out including sensory and motor testing and a diagnosis was made comparing various orthoptic parameters of the particular patients. Results: Of the 131 patients, 81 were female and 50 were male. The number of patients was 62 in the 10-20 years age group, 49 in 21-30 years age group and 20 in 31-40 years age group. The prevalence of NSBVA in age group 10-20 years was 69.35%, 21-30 years was 67.35% and 31-40 years was 50.00%. It was observed that the most common NSBVA was convergence insufficiency across all age groups followed by accommodative insufficiency and convergence excess. Conclusion: Early detection of NSBVA is important because these deviations may decompensate without treatment and become strabismic resulting in loss of stereopsis and development of suppression. Early detection and treatment provides best opportunity for academic success in school going age groups.