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Exploring Sleep Challenges and Interventions in Children with a Vision Impairment: A Scoping Review
Emma Oakes1, Laura N Cushley1, Tunde Peto1
1Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK.
Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 30, 2025
Summary
Sleep problems are common in children with vision impairment. Melatonin shows short-term benefits, but more research on non-pharmacological interventions is needed for effective, sustainable options.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Ophthalmology
- Evidence Synthesis
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are prevalent in children with vision impairment.
- These issues can impede physical, emotional, and cognitive development.
- Effective interventions require identification and evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map sleep challenges in children with vision impairment.
- To summarize evaluated interventions for these sleep problems.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature searches in Embase, Medline, and Web of Science.
- Screening, data extraction, and descriptive analysis.
- Narrative synthesis of findings from 15 included studies.
Main Results:
- Most studies (14/15) were from high-income countries.
- Common sleep issues include delayed sleep onset and fragmented sleep.
- Melatonin was the most studied intervention, showing short-term effectiveness.
Conclusions:
- The current evidence base is limited and heterogeneous.
- Non-pharmacological interventions require further research and testing.
- More comparative studies are needed for sustainable treatment options.
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