Ocular profile among hearing impaired children

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pediatrics
• Genetics

Background:

• Hearing impairment is a significant concern in childhood.
• Ocular abnormalities can co-occur with hearing loss, impacting development.
• Limited data exists on the prevalence of ocular issues in hearing-impaired pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of ocular abnormalities in children with sensorineural hearing loss.
• To compare the occurrence of ocular abnormalities and refractive errors between hearing-impaired and normal-hearing children.

Main Methods:

• Ophthalmological screening of 302 children (aged <15 years) with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
• Visual testing, cycloplegic refraction, and retinal examinations were performed.
• 100 normal-hearing children served as controls; statistical analysis used the chi-square test.

Main Results:

• 61% of hearing-impaired children had ocular abnormalities; 48.7% had refractive errors.
• Refractive errors were significantly more prevalent in the hearing-impaired group (p<0.001).
• Boys constituted 66% of the hearing-impaired cohort.

Conclusions:

• Ocular anomalies are more frequent in children with hearing impairment.
• Routine ophthalmological assessment is crucial for early detection in hearing-impaired children.
• Timely correction of ocular issues can improve academic performance.