Ophthalmic assessment of physically disabled children attending a rehabilitation centre.
A retrospective analysis was conducted of 397 children, ranging in age from 2 to 19 years, attending the Regency Park Centre for Young Disabled in Adelaide. The disorders represented included cerebral palsy, head injury, spina bifida, severe speech and/or language disorders, muscular dystrophy and a number of less common conditions. The incidence of significant ophthalmic abnormalities in this population was 51%, with the highest incidence being 69 and 62% among children with head injury and cerebral palsy, respectively. Children with severe speech and language disorders had an incidence of 24%. Overall, routine examinations revealed previously unsuspected significant eye abnormalities in 31% of the children. A complete ophthalmic examination should be part of the evaluation of all physically disabled children to ensure early identification and treatment of abnormalities, and to optimize rehabilitation.
Flett
P
P
Regency Park Centre for Young Disabled, Kilkenny, Australia.
Saunders
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012189:Retrospective Studies