These materials are from the archive of the SSC Website and may be outdated.

 

University of Edinburgh
 

Common Causes of Visual Loss in Children

Presented on Friday 15 May 2009

Visual Impairment Scotland Database

Dr J Skillen

Parent Information and Support Network

  • Downloadable medical info sheets
  • 'Ask a question' option - email - viscotland@ed.ac.uk
  • Telephone VI Scotland Team
  • Access Secure Family Message board
  • Link families together to offer support each other

VISKids

  • Children's club
  • VISKids Events - Family Days
    - Science Museum, Strathpeffer, Deer Centre
  • Receive goody bag on joining
  • VISKids Newsletter
  • Competitions
    - Christmas Card competition
    - Story telling/writing competition

Research Tool

  • VI Scotland Database – Notification System
  • Access database with details of over 1000 families living in Scotland
  • Combines information from
    - Health
    - Education
    - Parents

What can the database tell us?

  • National picture of childhood VI
  • Number of children affected
  • Prevalence rate of different types of VI conditions
  • Presence of associated conditions
  • Enables links to be made between Families
  • Types of services offered across Scotland
    - LVA provision etc - more on this later.

lWhat are our criteria?

  • Binocular Visual Acuity of 6/18 or worse
  • Any form of visual field loss (likely to impact on day to day activities)
  • AN eye movement disorder which effects visual function
  • Any form of cognitive visual dysfunction

Common Causes?

Start with the timing of event

graph

Which part of the visual pathway affected?

graph

Prenatal + brain

Most common on the database
Cerebral Visual Impairment
Approx 21% of the total

table

Other 'Brain' Causes of VI

  • Congential Motor Nystagmus
  • Hydrocephalus
  • PVL
  • Septo-optic dysplasia
  • Craniopharyngioma
  • Ocular Motor Apraxia
  • Neurofibromatosis
  • Astrocytoma
  • Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy
  • Meningitis

Brain Involvement - VI and others

pie chart

Types of additional disabilities

graph

Common Ocular Causes

  • Albinism
  • Cataract
  • Optic Nerve Hypoplasia/atrophy
  • ROP
  • Coloboma
  • Sensory Nystagmus
  • Microphthalmia
  • Aniridia
  • Retinitis Pigmentosa
  • Glaucoma

Resulting effect on Acuity

graph

Type of Field Defect

graph

Published Article

British Journal of Visual Impairment

  • http://jvi.sagepub.com

    • A novel method of notification to profile childhood visual impairment in Scotland to meet the needs of children with visual impairment
    John Ravenscroft, Andrew Blaikie, Caroline Macewen, Anne O'Hare, Lyn Cresswell & Gordon Dutton, BJVI 2008; 26; 170 DOI: 10.1177/0264629607088285

  • The online version can be found here

Registration Vs Notification

  • Ideally both systems
  • Registration not counting children with VI issues requiring specialist input
  • If not counted - services unlikely to be planned for in advance.
  • One example ... a condition affecting your eye movements
    normal vision

Possible Challenges...
Unable to generate saccades

  • Reading difficulties
  • Clumsy
  • Easily frustrated
  • Head thrusts to compensate - often discouraged