Abstract
Background: Neurosensory deprivation associated with vision is a well-known fact in people with intellectual disability (ID). This work aims to report the visual status of a population with ID in Portugal. Methods: A vision screening protocol was conducted during two Special Olympics events. The vision protocol included personal medical history, ocular health evaluation, and clinical measures, such as visual acuity (VA), binocular vision, colour vision, refractive error, and intraocular pressure. This protocol was administered to 134 subjects. Results: Half of the subjects reported that they had never attended or they did not remember having attended a previous eye exam. Additionally, 10% of them had not attended an eye exam in the immediate past three years. Half the subjects failed the VA test and 13% presented moderate Visual Impairment (VI) (VA worse than 0.5 logMAR in the best eye). Manifest ocular deviation was found in 25% of the subjects and the most common ocular health dysfunction conditions were conjunctiva hyperaemia, meibomian gland dysfunction, and lens anomalies. Refractive error correction allowed a reduction in the level of moderate VI to 3.7%. Conclusions: The population analysed showed a poor eye care attendance rate and vision-related conditions are in agreement with previous reports. The development of national strategies to promote the awareness for routine eye care in people with ID and improving accessibility to eye care services may mitigate many of the most prevalent conditions encountered.
Highlights
Intellectual disability (ID) is a multifaceted condition affecting all societies in the world
One of the health issues affecting people with intellectual disability (ID) which interferes with their cognitive development, mobility independence, acquisition of information, and communication is the presence of neurosensorial problems such as vision [8] and hearing [9] impairment
This study reports the visual status of a group of subjects with ID that participated in the Special
Summary
Intellectual disability (ID) is a multifaceted condition affecting all societies in the world. It is known that people presenting ID have poorer health status, higher mortality, and less involvement in health promotion activities [6]. This vulnerable part of society sees their condition even more aggravated when national health and social support services lack dedicated mechanisms to deal with their special needs [7]. The vision protocol included personal medical history, ocular health evaluation, and clinical measures, such as visual acuity (VA), binocular vision, colour vision, refractive error, and intraocular pressure. This protocol was administered to 134 subjects. 10% of them had not attended an eye exam in the immediate past three years
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