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One hundred and twenty visually handicapped children below 7 years of age
Insights
This study evaluated 120 preschool children with visual impairments, identifying diverse etiologies and associated handicaps. Many children presented with hereditary ocular disorders or intellectual impairments, alongside other complex health challenges.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Visual impairment in preschool children presents a complex challenge with varied causes and impacts.
- Understanding the spectrum of visual handicaps is crucial for early intervention and support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the eye diseases, etiologies, and associated handicaps in 120 visually impaired preschool children.
- To categorize children based on functioning levels and identify distinct etiological groups.
Main Methods:
- Clinical evaluation of 120 preschool children with visual impairments.
- Assessment of eye disease, etiology, and associated functional levels.
- Categorization into distinct groups based on findings.
Main Results:
- One-third of children met expectations for visual handicaps, often due to hereditary ocular disorders or retrolental fibroplasia.
- Another third exhibited moderate to severe intellectual impairment with additional handicaps, linked to prematurity or perinatal complications.
- The remaining third included children with brain damage syndromes or behavioral/emotional disturbances.
Conclusions:
- Preschool visual impairment is heterogeneous, with distinct etiological and comorbidity profiles.
- Intellectual impairment, perinatal complications, and neurological factors significantly influence outcomes.
- Further investigation into the relationship between emotional disturbance and brain dysfunction is warranted.
Abstract:
120 visually handicapped pre-school children are evaluated according to eye disease and its etiology, and the associated handicap, all related to the different levels of functioning. One third of the children fulfil the expectations on visually handicapped children. The group consists mainly of children suffering from hereditary ocular disorders and some children with retrolental fibroplasia. One third of the children are moderately or severely intellectually impaired, bearing a heavy burden of additional handicaps; many are born premature or dysmature, having suffered perinatal complications. The final third are children who fall outside the other 2 groups, some with a brain damage syndrome, some with light or moderate behavioural and emotional disturbance. The moderate and severe emotional disturbance and its relation to a brain dysfunctional syndrome are discussed.