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High Prevalence of Abnormal Ocular Surface Tests in a Healthy Pediatric Population
William Rojas-Carabali1, Pilar Uribe-Reina1,2, Juliana Muñoz-Ortiz2
1Research Group in Neurosciences NeURos. Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Insights
Even healthy children showed ocular surface abnormalities, with 33.33% diagnosed with dry eye disease. This study provides key pediatric ocular surface test results and highlights the need for further research.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Eye Care
- Ocular Surface Disease
Background:
- Limited normative data exists for pediatric ocular surface tests.
- Screen time is prevalent among children, potentially impacting eye health.
- Understanding ocular surface characteristics in children is crucial for early diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish reference values for ocular surface tests in a healthy pediatric population.
- To describe ocular surface characteristics in children aged 7-17.
- To investigate the prevalence of ocular surface abnormalities in healthy children.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 60 healthy children (aged 7-17).
- Collection of ocular surface test results, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores, and screen use data.
- Statistical analysis including univariate analysis and random effects modeling for bilateral eye correlation.
Main Results:
- All participants exhibited at least one abnormal ocular surface test result.
- 33.33% of children were diagnosed with dry eye disease based on TFOS DEWS II criteria.
- Specific mean values were reported for blink frequency, tear meniscus height, tear break-up time, conjunctival redness, tear osmolarity, and Schirmer test results.
Conclusions:
- Healthy children can present with ocular surface abnormalities and dry eye disease.
- The study provides valuable pediatric reference data for ocular surface tests.
- Further multicentric studies are recommended to compare findings across different pediatric populations.
Purpose:
To describe ocular surface characteristics and tests' results in a healthy pediatric population.
Methods:
We performed a cross-sectional study with 60 healthy children, obtaining consent, OSDI and screen use survey and conducting ocular surface tests. Statistical univariate analysis for categorical and quantitative variables was made. To describe the correlation of the results in both eyes, we used a model of random effects. To characterize the possible profiles of device use, we applied the mixed-cluster methodology.
Results:
Sixty healthy children between 7 and 17 years old were evaluated. Girl's proportion was 41.6%. Mean Ocular Surface Disease Index Score was 9.98±8.49 points. Daily screen time was 5.59±2.77 hours and the most popular screen was the smartphone. Mean results (with standard deviations or confidence intervals) of ocular surface tests were blink frequency while reading on paper, 6.8±5.68 times per minute; blink frequency while reading on screen, 8.7±7.14 times per minute; tear meniscus height, 0.19[0.18-0.2] mm; non-invasive tear break-up time, 12.44[10.99-13.9] seconds; nasal conjunctival redness, 0.86[0.77-0.94]; temporal conjunctival redness, 0.96[0.87-1.04]; tear osmolarity, 299.3[295.14-303.45] mmol; and Schirmer test, 23.73[21.28-26.18] mm. Lid margin was irregular in three eyes; 44.7% had thin lipid layer; lissamine green staining was positive in 70.8%; fluorescein staining was positive in 47.4%; 36.64% exhibited partial meibomian gland loss.
Conclusion:
Considering the scarcity of specific pediatric values of ocular surface tests, we performed a clinical investigation involving the complete pool of ocular surface tests in children. Although healthy children were included in this study, we found that all the participants had at least one abnormal result and 33.33% had dry eye disease diagnosis, according to the TFOS DEWS II. It would be relevant to carry out further multicentric studies to compare our ocular surface tests' results with other groups of children.
