Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2026
How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns
Published on: October 24, 2019
[Importance of the ophthalmological evaluation in newborns]
Daniel Wasilewski1, Rommel J Zago, Anne M C Bardal
1Oftalmologia, Hospital Universitário Evangélico de Curitiba, PR. danielwasilewski@hotmail.com
Insights
Many newborns have undiagnosed eye conditions within 48 hours of birth. Routine ophthalmological exams are crucial as pediatricians often miss these early signs of ocular disease.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Pediatrics
Context:
- Neonatal period is critical for early detection of congenital disorders.
- Ocular diseases at birth can impact long-term visual development.
- Pediatrician's clinical suspicion is the primary method for identifying neonatal health issues.
Purpose:
- To determine the prevalence of ocular diseases in newborns within the first 48 hours of life.
- To assess the correlation between identified ocular diseases and pediatricians' clinical suspicion.
- To emphasize the necessity of routine ophthalmological screening for all neonates.
Summary:
- A prospective study evaluated 667 newborns within 48 hours of birth.
- 3.75% of newborns presented with ocular diseases, primarily corneal opacity.
- Pediatricians, neonatologists, and parents failed to detect 56% of these neonatal ocular conditions.
Impact:
- Highlights a significant gap in the detection of neonatal ocular diseases by non-specialists.
- Underscores the importance of integrating comprehensive ophthalmological evaluations into routine newborn care.
- Aims to reduce potential long-term visual impairment through early diagnosis and intervention.
Objective:
To verify the existence of ocular diseases in the first 48 hours of life of newborns and relate it to the clinical suspicious of pediatricians.
Methods:
A prospective study was performed. All infants that were born between July and December of 2000 were evaluated in the nursery of Hospital Universitário Evangélico de Curitiba (HUEC). Six hundred sixty-seven newborns were evaluated through a protocol by residents and tutors of ophthalmology, regardless of pediatricianś suspicious of ocular disorder. The examination consisted of inspection, oblique illumination, evaluation of ocular deviation and direct ophthalmoscopy (red reflex) in all patients.
Results:
Among all examined newborns, 3.75% showed some ocular disease. The most frequent problem was corneal opacity. The ocular diseases were not noticed by pediatricians, neonatologists and parents in fifty-six per cent of the cases presenting some problem.
Conclusions:
This study showed that many ocular disorders presented at birth are not noticed by pediatricians (56%), which highlights the importance of ophthalmological evaluation in all newborns as a routine examination in the first 48 hours of life.
