Opportunities for osteopathic correction for treatment infants with refraction disorders

Abstract

Introduction. In paediatric population the prevalence of refraction pathology, including astigmatism of more than 0,75 diopters, exceeds 30 % in average. Visual perception disorder with underlying non-corrected ametropia in children, especially in sensitive period of visual system development, can manifest itself in amblyopia, strabismus, binocular and stereoscopic vision dyspoiesis. Astigmatism of more than 0,75 diopters requires a mandatory correction, even at 1 year age, to provide conditions for the complete vision formation. It is possible that if we try osteopathic methods on astigmatism triggers, it will decrease the astigmatism degree in infants.Goal of research— to explore the opportunities of osteopathic treatment for infants with refraction disorders based on age, and develop recommendations for pediatric ophthalmologists.Materials and methods.37 infants from 3 to 11 month were divided in two groups. An experimental group consists of 21 infant, and control group consists of 16 infants. Before starting the study, an ophthalmologic and osteopathic examination was done to all infants. «Plusoptix A09» pediatric autorefractometer was used to determine the refraction. Osteopathic treatment for the experimental group included 4–6 sessions with an interval of 7–14 days. The control group did not receive osteopathic treatment, they were just observed. Observation period was 6–12 months.Results.For all the examined children with astigmatism, regional somatic head dysfunctions were determined and characteristic. Regional somatic dysfunction of dura mater was detected in 75– 90,9 % of cases. Regional somatic dysfunctions of the neck were found in 60–75 % of cases. It was found that in experimental group, astigmatism rate was decreased by 2,2 times in infants less than 6 months of life and by 1,4 times in infants older than 6 months due to osteopathic correction of somatic dysfunctions. In control group, no signifi cant changes in astigmatism rate were observed at the end of the observation period. Statistically signifi cant differences with a high confi dence level between the degree of astigmatism severity and somatic dysfunctions of the head and dura mater regions were revealed.Conclusion.Osteopathic treatment should be recommended for infants with astigmatism under 1 year old.