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Ocular manifestations in children with developmental delay preliminary report
1Department of Ophthalmology, Kaohsiung Medical University, No. 100, Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
Insights
More than half of children with developmental delay experience ocular problems, including optic atrophy and strabismus. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) can help evaluate visual pathways in these children.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
Background:
- Developmental delay in children is often associated with various health issues.
- Ocular abnormalities can significantly impact a child's development and quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of systemic diseases and ocular problems in children with developmental delay.
- To assess the utility of specific tests in evaluating visual pathways and ocular motility.
Main Methods:
- Ocular examinations were performed on 41 children (mean age 3.53 years) with developmental delay.
- Centrality, steadiness, fixation, and flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs) tests were utilized.
- Clinical manifestations were recorded.
Main Results:
- Ocular problems were identified in 56.10% of the children.
- Optic atrophy and strabismus were the most common ocular abnormalities.
- Mental and motor retardation were the primary clinical manifestations.
Conclusions:
- A high incidence of ocular abnormalities exists in children with developmental delay.
- Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) show promise as tools for assessing visual pathways and ocular motility.
- Early detection and management of ocular issues are crucial for these children.
Abstract:
To investigate systemic diseases and ocular problems among children with developmental delay, forty-one children (28 boys and 13 girls with a mean age of 3.53 +/- 2.25 y/o) were enrolled in this study. In addition to ocular examinations, we used centrality, steadiness, fixation and flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs) tests on all of the children. We found that 23 children (56.10%) had ocular problems with optic atrophy and strabismus being the two most common ocular abnormalities. The two major clinical manifestations of developmentally delayed children were mental and motor retardation. The primary test of centrality, steadiness and fixation and visual evoked potentials could be useful tools in evaluating the visual pathway and ocular motility. Preliminary results showed that more than half of the children with developmental delay had certain ocular abnormalities. The high incidence of ocular abnormalities deserves careful attention when these children are brought to seek medical help. Further study of ocular problems among developmentally delayed children and a search for more reliable examination method should be encouraged.