Background & Objective: In order to avoid amblyopia, the welfare organization of Iran performs a special program every year. Since there was no research regarding the mistake rates made by the educators, this study was conducted to determine the probable differences between educators and optometrists in terms of their mistakes in examining amblyopia. The study aimed also at decreasing the amount of this difference and programming for the better performance of amblyopia examination in the future.

 Methods: This study was performed on 260 children in 22 nursery schools of Ardabil using systematic sampling method. These children were first examined by the educators and after some time they were examined for a second time by optometrists using retinoscopy and the fingertip. The data was collected using a questionnaire filled out by both the educators and the optometrists. This data was then analyzed by X² tests and ANOVA using SPSS program.

 Results: 51.2% of the subjects were male and the rest of them (48.8%) were female. 63.5% of the nursery schools (day- care centers) were private and the others were run by the ministry of education. 13.8% of the subjects used eye glasses and 8.1% were under the control of a physician. 36.4% of the centers did not observe the standard interval. 18.8% of the educators were not skillful enough. 17.7% of the children suffered from astigmatism and 5.3% of them had a weak eyesight. Because of these factors, there was a 17.7% difference between the examination of educators and that of the optometrists.

 Conclusions: It seems necessary for the authorities to have better and more careful programs in the future for examining amblyopia.

 Background & Objectives: Considering the high prevalance of congenital obstruction of nasolacrimal ducts in infants and the importance of timely intervention and due to the lack of previous similar researches in Ardebil province, and regarding the discrepancies in the reports about the degree of successful accomplishment of the first probing, the researchers set out to design and perform the present research among the patients referring to ophthalmology ward.

  Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 84 children suffering from congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction who had undergone pobing surgery in Alavi hospitaly between 2000 and 2002.

  Results: 70 eyes of 50 patients were examined. 27 (54%) were male and 23 (46%) were female. 20 of them (40%) had bilateral involvement and 30 (60%) had unilateral one. Involvement of right eye (60%) was more than left eye (40%) and was expected in first child (56%) more than subsequent offsprings. Clinical manifestation was epiphora in 44%, prulent discharge in 12% and epiphora with prulent discharge in 44%. 90% of the subjects were operated for the first time while 10% had had 2-3 operations before complete recovery was observed in 48% of the patients 46% of them had relative improvement and no recovery was witnessed in 6% of them.

 Conclusion: This study showed that the male infants were affected more than females, and the rate of involvement in right eye as well as in first children was relarively high. Also the rate of recovery among unilateral groups and infants under 1 year of age was considerably high, so it is recommended that the patients of this age group undertake a therapy with topical antibiotic and lacrimal sac massage and because of the low success of the surgery above 2 years of age, probing is recommended from 6 month to 18 months of age if medical treatment was unsuccessful.