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Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
Published on: March 27, 2012
Refractive Errors and Ocular Biometric Parameters in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Handan: A
Yueying Cheng1,2,3,4, Junjun Wang1,2,3,5, Mingmei Liu1,2,3
1Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show higher hyperopia and shallower anterior chamber depth. Ocular parameters like spherical equivalent and anterior chamber depth are key predictors of ASD, aiding in eye care and assessment.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with potential links to visual system differences.
- Understanding ocular characteristics in children with ASD is crucial for early intervention and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare refractive status and ocular biometric parameters between children with ASD and typically developing children.
- To identify potential ocular markers associated with ASD for improved eye care and rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 95 children with ASD and 96 controls (aged 4-12 years).
- Non-cycloplegic ocular refraction and ocular biometric measurements were performed.
- Statistical analyses included correlation, logistic regression, and random forest modeling.
Main Results:
- Children with ASD exhibited significantly higher hyperopia (Spherical Equivalent: 0.00 ±1.30 DS) and shallower Anterior Chamber Depth (2.93 ±0.26 mm) compared to controls.
- Spherical Equivalent (SE) and Cylinder (CYL) were significantly different between groups.
- SE, CYL, Axial Length-to-Crane ratio (AL/CR), and ACD were associated with ASD, with SE and ACD being primary predictors.
Conclusions:
- Ocular biometric parameters, particularly SE and ACD, are significantly different in children with ASD.
- These parameters may aid in identifying children who could benefit from further ASD assessment.
- Further validation in larger prospective studies is needed to confirm the predictive utility of these ocular markers.
Purpose:
To investigate the differences in refractive status between children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and normal children, as well as the differences in the development of ocular characteristic parameters such as axial length(AL), in order to provide some help for eye care and subsequent rehabilitation in this group.
Patients And Methods:
This cross-sectional study enrolled 95 children aged 4-12 years with ASD from the Handan region of China, along with 96 matched control children. All participants underwent non-cycloplegic ocular refraction and ocular biometric parameter measurements, aiming to explore the association between ASD and ocular refractive errors as well as ocular biometric parameters.
Results:
Children with ASD exhibited significantly higher hyperopia, Spherical equivalent (SE: ASD 0.00 ±1.30 DS vs control -0.50 ±1.80 DS, p < 0.01), Cylinder (CYL: ASD -0.75 ±1.50DC vs control -0.50 ±0.50 DC, p < 0.01), shallower Anterior Chamber Depth (ACD) (ASD 2.93 ±0.26 vs control 3.03 ±0.34, p < 0.05) compared to controls. SE was negatively correlated with AL. The axial length-to-crane ratio (AL/CR), ACD, and vitreous thickness (VT) were positively correlated with lens thickness (LT) (p <0.05). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that SE, CYL, AL/CR, and ACD were associated with ASD (all p-values <0.05). The random forest model indicated that SE (25.5%) and ACD (25.3%) were the primary predictors of ASD.
Conclusion:
The detection of ocular biological characteristic parameters has significant guiding significance for correcting refractive errors in children with ASD. Moreover, the combined diagnosis of SE, CYL, AL/CR, and may help identify children who may benefit from further ASD assessment. However, the predictive utility of these parameters requires validation in prospective, larger-scale studies.
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