Ocular and vision defects in preschool children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Ophthalmology
• Public Health
• Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

• Ocular and vision defects are frequent reasons for pediatric hospital referrals.
• A birth cohort study identified significant prevalence of vision defects in young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the incidence and risk factors of ocular and vision defects in children up to five years old.
• To compare defect prevalence and characteristics between early (0-2 years) and later (2-5 years) childhood.

Main Methods:

• A survey of a birth cohort in a specific health district.
• Data collection on diagnoses of ocular and vision defects by the fifth birthday.
• Analysis of risk factors including birth weight and need for postnatal care.

Main Results:

• 7.1% of children had defects by age five; 2.1% by age two, and 5.1% between two and five.
• Low birthweight and special postnatal care children had higher risks and visual impairment before age two.
• These high-risk factors did not persist between ages two and five.
• Defect incidence in specialist eye clinics increased from 1.1% (0-2 years) to 1.7% (2-5 years), mainly due to refractive errors.

Conclusions:

• While certain factors increase early childhood vision defect risk, this elevated risk is not sustained past age two.
• Refractive errors are a primary driver of increased vision defect diagnoses in older toddlers and preschoolers.
• Ongoing surveillance and early detection remain crucial for managing pediatric vision health.