Adults who had 'lazy eye' as a child 'more at risk of four silent killer conditions'

Children with a 'lazy eye' may be at a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease when they grow up, a new study suggests.

The research analysed data from over 126,000 UK adults and found those diagnosed with amblyopia as kids were more likely to have high blood pressure and obesity in later life.

The findings, published in eClinicalMedicine, don't prove that having a lazy eye causes these health problems. But the researchers say it might mean kids with this condition need extra encouragement to live healthily.

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Professor Jugnoo Rahi, from UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: "Amblyopia is an eye condition affecting up to four in 100 children."

He added: "In the UK, all children are supposed to have vision screening before the age of five, to ensure a prompt diagnosis and relevant ophthalmic treatment."

He also said: "It is rare to have a 'marker' in childhood that is associated with increased risk of serious disease in adult life, and also one that is measured and known for every child because of population screening."

He concluded by saying: "The large numbers of affected children and their families may want to think of our findings as an extra incentive for trying to achieve healthy lifestyles from childhood."

Amblyopia, a condition where one eye doesn't develop properly due to brain issues, affects up to 4% of kids around the world.

In the UK, treatment usually starts before the age of seven, potentially improving vision in the weaker eye.

A study was conducted using health data for 126,399 people, aged 40 to 69, in the UK Biobank a collection which holds medical and lifestyle records of over half a million folks.

The data showed that among the 3,238 people who had a lazy eye as a child, over four out of five continued to have reduced vision in one eye through adulthood.

Those individuals also had 29% increased probability of developing diabetes, high blood pressure risks went up by 25%, and they had 16% higher chances of being overweight.

An increased risk of heart attack observed even when other risky conditions factored in like social class, ethnicity and any previous diseases, according to the team's findings.

Even those who have regained their vision after having amblyopia as a child exhibited some health problems although the correlation was less clear, said the team.

Dr Siegfried Wagner, who works at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, spoke on the subject, stating: "Vision and the eyes are sentinels for overall health whether heart disease or metabolic disfunction, they are intimately linked with other organ systems."

"This is one of the reasons why we screen for good vision in both eyes."

"We emphasise that our research does not show a causal relationship between amblyopia and ill health in adulthood."

"Our research means that the 'average' adult who had amblyopia as a child is more likely to develop these disorders than the 'average' adult who did not have amblyopia."

"The findings don't mean that every child with amblyopia will inevitably develop cardiometabolic disorders in adult life."

Speaking about the new study, Poonam Patel, eye health information services manager at RNIB, explained: "This research provides a good opportunity to highlight the importance of eye tests and child vision screening for the early detection of refractive error and amblyopia in children."

"Early detection of amblyopia can help ensure timely treatment and limit the impact this has on sight."

"Child vision screening should be made available in all areas for all children when starting school at the age of four-five, though there are currently some areas where this isn't yet available."

"Children should also have regular eye tests with an optometrist, especially if there is a family history of refractive error, squint or amblyopia."

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