[Refractional astigmatism prevalence and its relationship with grating acuity in children 2 to 36 months of age].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate refractional astigmatism prevalence and its relationship with grating acuity in a cohort of non-verbal children.


METHODS
482 normal children, aged from 2 to 36 months, were submitted to ophthalmological examination. Fourteen subjects were excluded due to ocular disease and the sample remained with 468 subjects (936 eyes); 230 (49%) males e 238 (51%) females. Grating acuity was assessed binocularly and monocularly with Teller acuity cards. All children underwent eye examination including cycloplegic retinoscopy and fundus by indirect ophthalmoscopy.


RESULTS
Astigmatism was found in 222 (47.43%) of the children, with the hyperopic and with the rule types most frequently found in all ages. Concerning magnitude, this condition was equal or greater than 1.00 cylindric diopter in 24.35% of the children; equal or greater than 2.00 cylindric diopter in 5.55%; lower than 1.00 in 26.92% and between 1.00 and 2.00 in 18.73%. Grating acuity was normal in 219 of the subjects, despite magnitude, type and orientation of astigmatism.


CONCLUSIONS
Visual acuity assessed by the acuity card procedure was not influenced by astigmatism.
Lipener
César
C
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. lipener@uol.com.br
Munoz
Emilio de Haro
Ede H
Moreira
José Belmiro de Castro
JB
Berezovsky
Adriana
A
Salomão
Solange Rios
SR
Ventura
Dora Fix
DF
D001251:Astigmatism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D015351:Vision Screening; D014792:Visual Acuity