Psychogenic Amblyopia in Children

Visual conversion reaction in children

“…A common finding amongst patients with conversion reactions is a display of lack of concern over their often quite incapacitating symptoms ( l a belle indiference), and this phenomenon has been noted in children (van Balen and Slijper, 1978). Rada, Meyer and Krill ( 1969) did not find this phenomenon in their study.…”

“…Van Balen and Slijper ( 1978) reported that psychological tests on a group of children diagnosed as having 'psychogenic amblyopia' did not reveal hysteria but that these tests, when combined with results of interviews with the parents, suggested a neurotic conflict on the basis of the wish to express feelings of hostility and the wish not to lose the love of the parents. Mantyjarvi (1981) believed that the 'psychogenic amblyopia' in her group of 52 children was a feature of stress at the time of pre-puberty and puberty.…”

“…Van Balen and Slijper (1978) reported a total of 43 children between the ages of 8 and 16 years who were referred, in the years 1972-1976, to the Rotterdam Eye Clinic and who were diagnosed as having functional vision anomalies.…”

“…Freeman ( 1983) believed that malingering is probably uncommon in children, and van Balen and Slijper (1978) also believed that simulation was an unlikely cause of the poor vision in the children they examined not only because of the children's ages but also because of the virtual absence of gain.…”

“…Visual dysfunction without organic cause has been described as 'psychogenic visual disturbance' (Freud,191 O), 'hysterical blindness' (Wolff and Lachman, 1938), 'hysterical amblyopia' (Yasuna, 1963), 'ocular conversion reaction' (Krill and Newell, 1968), 'visual conversion reaction' (Rada, Meyer and Kellner, 1978), 'psychogenic amblyopia' (van Balen and Slijper, 1978) and 'amblyopic schoolgirl syndrome' (Mantyjarvi,198 1 ).…”