Cause Of Childhood Blindness Research Articles

Eyedealistic Vision: Optimizing Oxygenation to Reduce Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Rates of severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) continue to rise globally despite advances in healthcare. Differences in practices related to optimizing oxygenation is among key factors that increase the risk of severe ROP. A recent increase in severe ROP rates at 2 local neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) prompted further investigation into potential preventative practices. The project team's goal was to reduce rates of severe ROP by 20% in the 2 participating units. A level IV and level III NICU were targeted, including 255 infants at risk for ROP. Interventions included staff education, implementation of new established oxygen guidelines, as well as use of order sets, and alarm limits. Compliance rates and severe ROP rates before and after new guideline implementation were assessed. After implementing the new guidelines, average alarm limit compliance met project goals of 90% at both sites. Severe ROP rates declined from 10% to 7% in the level IV NICU site and from 6% to 0% in the level III NICU site during the 24-month study period from 2022 to 2023. Education and increased understanding regarding risk factors for ROP patients are crucial to successfully implementing and sustaining standardized oxygenation guidelines. Including the entire healthcare team and patient families is key to successful QI initiatives and improving patient outcomes. Further research is needed for optimal standardized oxygen alarm limits for this patient population. One of the leading causes of childhood blindness is retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).1 ROP is a disease of the retina that affects premature infants, with the highest risk to very low birthweight (VLBW) infants born with a gestational age of less than 30 to 32weeks or infants weighing less than 1500 grams.2 There are 5 stages of ROP. Stages 1 and 2 are considered mild and resolve on their own. Stage 3 is considered moderate-severe and sometimes resolves independently, with many cases requiring treatment. Stages 4 and 5 ROP are deemed severe and require treatment.

Retinopathy of prematurity screening: can the examination time be reduced?

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant cause of childhood blindness. Screening examinations that maintain accuracy, while improving the experience for families, could increase adherence to follow-up and decrease workload. Background Traditional ROP screening examinations are known to be uncomfortable for babies and stressful for parents. A new strategy is proposed and tested for the accuracy of the outcome and the time taken. Methods In this new screening strategy, the examiner performs a complete retinal examination on the first visit. If the area and stage of the nasal and temporal retinal regions are similar or the stage of the temporal half is worse, only the posterior pole and temporal half of the retina are evaluated at subsequent visits. A retrospective patient file review was conducted to compare the new proposal with accepted methods. ROP examination time was compared prospectively. Results The data of 57 consecutive patients treated for ROP were evaluated. The ROP zone was the same in the nasal and temporal retina in all eyes at the first and last visit before treatment. Only two eyes had worse ROP stage in the nasal half at presentation but both halves developed the same degree of stage during follow-up. None of the treatment decisions were based only on the nasal region of the retina. Examination time was evaluated in 40 eyes of 20 infants. The average total time required for an examination with the accepted method was 241.3 ± 112.5 seconds. However, with the proposed strategy, the examination time was significantly reduced to 172.3 ± 69.2 seconds (p < 0.001). Conclusions This screening strategy shortens examination time, which may help reduce pain and related adverse events.

Global certification of visual impairment registries: A scoping review.

Visual impairment is a global problem which is predicted to rise in the coming years. Some of the biggest causes of visual impairment globally include uncorrected refractive error, cataract and age-related macular degeneration. People with a visual impairment often require support and so many countries hold registers of visual impairment. These registers can sit at a national, regional or local level. This scoping review aims to identify which countries hold visual impairment registries and have published data from them. Medline All, Embase and EBSCOHost were searched using several search terms after consulting an information specialist. All papers after the year 2000 were included in the scoping review. All results are shown using a PRISMA diagram and presented narratively. The total number of articles and papers identified was 1266; after screening and review, 57 articles were included in the review from 2000 to 2024. These articles came from 19 different countries and encompassed national, regional and local visual impairment databases. Many countries cited age-related macular degeneration as the major cause of blindness with diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma following. In less economically developed countries, refractive error was the main cause of sight loss. There were papers which focused on specific eye conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy or on specific cohorts including working-age population and children. The leading causes of blindness in children appeared to be inherited retinal diseases, albinism and cerebral visual impairment. Certification of visual impairment is held differently across the world. There is commonality among different countries regarding the major causes of visual impairment in both adults and children. The importance of holding visual impairment registers to support people with a visual impairment and to plan services is essential.

Cerebral injury and retinopathy as risk factors for blindness in extremely preterm infants

ObjectiveThis study investigates whether and to what extent cerebral injury is associated with bilateral blindness in extremely preterm infants, which has been attributed mainly to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).DesignMulticentre analysis...

A case series on small incision cataract surgery + PMMA IOL with primary posterior capsulorrhexis: A safe and cheaper alternative in management of pediatric cataracts

Pediatric cataracts, a significant cause of childhood blindness, present pronounced challenges in low-income countries where conventional phacoemulsification with hydrophobic foldable IOLs may be economically unfeasible. In resource-limited settings, the conventional method of employing phacoemulsification with hydrophobic foldable IOLs is often impractical. This case series explores an economically pragmatic alternative, centering on Small-incision cataract surgery (SICS) paired with rigid polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) intraocular lenses (IOLs). This study delves into the visual outcomes of SICS with in-the-bag PMMA IOLs, Primary Posterior Capsulorrhexis (PPC), and anterior vitrectomy to mitigate Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO) formation in the Visual Axis (VA). The evaluation, conducted at specific postoperative intervals spanning from Post-op Day 01 to the 6th month, provides a comprehensive understanding of the efficacy and safety of this approach. Findings underscore PMMA IOLs as both durable and cost-effective substitutes, with an emphasis on SICS with PPC as a reliable technique for cataract removal. This research delivers a practical solution to enhance visual outcomes, tackling the distinct challenges confronted in resource-limited settings and contributing to the broader global endeavor to alleviate preventable childhood blindness.

Congenital retinal eye disorders with poor visual outcome from a developing country: A case series

Congenital eye disorders are an important cause of childhood blindness. They can be due to defective development of ocular tissues during the intrauterine life, which can result from adverse genetic, environmental factors, teratogens, or chromosomal anomalies in the developing embryo. We report three such cases with congenital retinal disorders where even surgical intervention would result in a poor visual outcome. Preconceptional genetic counseling of prospective parents can maximize the chances of the couple having a healthy baby. Premarital counseling for consanguinity and screening for carriers of genetic diseases can help prevent many congenital diseases. Proper diagnosis and early intervention may provide a favourable outcome.

A novel cataract-related mutation R10P in γA-crystallin increases susceptibility to thermal shock and ultraviolet radiation of γA-crystallin

Congenital cataract is one of the most common causes of childhood blindness, typically resulting from genetic mutations. Over a hundred gene mutations associated with congenital cataract have been identified, with approximately half occurring in the Crystallin genes. In this study, we identified a novel γA-crystallin pathogenic mutation (c. 29G > C, p. Arg10Pro (R10P)), from a four-generation Chinese family with congenital cataract, and investigated its potential molecular mechanisms underlying congenital cataracts. We compared the protein structure and stability of purified the wild type (WT) and R10P under physiological conditions and environmental stresses (UV irradiation, pH imbalance, heat shock, and chemical denaturation) using spectroscopic experiments, SEC analysis, and the UNcle protein analysis system. The results demonstrate that γA-R10P has no significant impact on the structure of γA-crystallin on normal condition. However, it is more sensitive to UV irradiation at high concentrations and prone to aggregation at high temperatures. Therefore, our study reveals the crucial role of the conserved site mutation R10P in maintaining protein structure and stability, providing new insights into the mechanisms of cataract formation.

The outcomes of paediatric cataract surgery with intraocular lens insertion in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

ImportanceCataract is one of the leading causes of childhood blindness in Africa. The management of this condition requires timely surgical extraction of the cataractous lens with immediate optical correction and long-term follow-up to monitor visual improvement and manage complications that may arise. This review provides an opportunity to benchmark outcomes and to shed light on the reasons for those outcomes.ObjectivesTo review the published literature and report on the outcomes of paediatric cataract surgery with intraocular lens insertion in sub-Saharan Africa.Data sourceThe EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles.Study selectionWe included all published primary studies from sub-Saharan Africa on cataract surgery outcomes in children aged 0–16 years with primary intraocular lens implantation conducted between 1990 and 2020. Eligible studies were those published in English or for which an English translation was available. In addition, reviewers screened the reference lists of all studies included in the full-text review for eligible studies. During the review, studies fitting the inclusion criteria above except for having been conducted in middle and high-income countries were tagged and placed in a comparison arm.Data extraction and synthesisStudy eligibility was determined by two independent reviewers, and data extraction was conducted by one reviewer with entries checked for accuracy by another reviewer. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for data synthesis were followed. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist was used for quality appraisal of the studies. The statistical software R was used in the analysis, and data were pooled using a random-effects model. Forest plots were generated using the R package ‘metafor’.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was visual acuity (VA) after cataract surgery and the proportions of eyes that achieved good, borderline, or poor visual outcome according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) categorisation of post-operative visual acuity. The secondary outcome measures reported included lag time to surgery, rates of follow-up, and rate of complications.ResultsEight out of 4763 studies were eligible for inclusion in this review, and seven were included in the quantitative analysis. There was a male preponderance in the study population, and the mean age at the time of cataract surgery ranged from 3.4 to 8.4 years. Visual outcomes were available for short-term visual outcomes (1 to 6 months) as the studies had a significant loss to follow-up. The pooled proportion of eyes that achieved a good visual acuity (i.e. equal to or greater than 6/18) in the short-term period was 31% (CI, 20–42). The comparative studies from middle and high-income countries reported proportions ranging from 41 to 91%, with higher thresholds for good visual acuity of 6/12 and 6/15.Conclusion and relevanceThis review reports that there is a lower proportion of eyes with good outcomes after undergoing paediatric cataract surgery in sub-Saharan Africa than in middle- and high-income countries. Furthermore, this review states that there is a high proportion of patients lost to follow-up and suboptimal refractive correction and amblyopia treatment after paediatric cataract surgery.

Natural Products in the Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity: Exploring Therapeutic Potentials.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vascular disorder affecting the retinas of preterm infants. This condition arises when preterm infants in incubators are exposed to high oxygen levels, leading to oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and a downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factors, which causes the loss of retinal microvascular capillaries. Upon returning to room air, the upregulation of vascular growth factors results in abnormal vascular growth of retinal endothelial cells. Without appropriate intervention, ROP can progress to blindness. The prevalence of ROP has risen, making it a significant cause of childhood blindness. Current treatments, such as laser therapy and various pharmacologic approaches, are limited by their potential for severe adverse effects. Therefore, a deeper understanding of ROP's pathophysiology and the development of innovative treatments are imperative. Natural products from plants, fungi, bacteria, and marine organisms have shown promise in treating various diseases and have gained attention in ROP research due to their minimal side effects and wide-ranging beneficial properties. This review discusses the roles and mechanisms of natural products that hold potential as therapeutic agents in ROP management.

Truncation mutations of CRYGD gene in congenital cataracts cause protein aggregation by disrupting the structural stability of γD-crystallin

Congenital cataracts, a prevalent cause of blindness in children, are associated with protein aggregation. γD-crystallin, essential for sustaining lens transparency, exists as a monomer and exhibits excellent structural stability. In our cohort, we identified a nonsense mutation (c.451_452insGACT, p.Y151X) in the CRYGD gene. To explore the effect of truncation mutations on the structure of γD-crystallin, we examined the Y151X and T160RfsX8 mutations, both located in the Greek key motif 4 at the cellular and protein level in this study. Both truncation mutations induced protein misfolding and resulted in the formation of insoluble aggregates when overexpressed in HLE B3 and HEK 293T cells. Moreover, heat, UV irradiation, and oxidative stress increased the proportion of aggregates of mutants in the cells. We next purified γD-crystallin to estimate its structural changes. Truncation mutations led to conformational disruption and a concomitant decrease in protein solubility. Molecular dynamics simulations further demonstrated that partial deletion of the conserved domain within the Greek key motif 4 markedly compromised the overall stability of the protein structure. Finally, co-expression of α-crystallins facilitated the proper folding of truncated mutants and mitigated protein aggregation. In summary, the structural integrity of the Greek key motif 4 in γD-crystallin is crucial for overall structural stability.

Efficacy of Indirect Laser Photocoagulation in Cases with Retinopathy of Prematurity Presenting with Late Stage 3 Turning into Stage 4A

Abstract Background Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a preventable irreversible cause of blindness in children especially in developing countries. Early detection and management of type 1 ROP with intravitreal injection of Anti-VEGF or indirect laser photocoagulation is the cornerstone of preventing blindness from this disease. Screening programs for ROP are mandatory for picking cases early before retinal detachment develops. Standardized screening programs are still lacking in developing countries, like Egypt, so cases may present in later stages. Cases presenting too late with Stage 4 and 5 ROP are managed surgically with lens-sparing vitrectomy or lensectomy vitrectomy. A portion of the cases present at the transition from stage 3 into stage 4a ROP. Management of those cases with intravitreal anti-VEGF was reported to cause acute crunch and tractional retinal detachment. Management with laser photocoagulation has not been discussed before. Methods This is a retrospective interventional, non-comparative study. Review of records of ROP cases presenting after 4 weeks from delivery having stage 3 turning into stage 4a ROP for which indirect laser photocoagulation was done were collected in the period from January 2017 till May 2019. Gestational age, birth weight, postmenstrual age at first presentation, date of laser photocoagulation and number of sessions, fundus images showing initial regression and final regression and if any recurrences happened were recorded. Results Nine treatment naive eyes of five premature infants were included. Mean GA was 30.4+/- 1.5 wks (range, 28-32 wks; median, 31). Mean BW 1190+/- 174.6 gm (range, 900-1300; median = 1300). Mean PMA at presentation 42.5+/-5.7 wks (range, 38.5-52.5; median, 40.5). All 9 eyes presented with plus disease and highly elevated fibrovascular ridge with significant fibrous component in Zone II. 7 eyes (77.7%) had secondary retinoschisis, localized tractional retinal detachment. 2 eyes (22.2%) showed temporal dragging. All eyes received Indirect laser photocoagulation to the avascular retina (near confluent burns) one session for each eye. No skip areas were reported. 5 eyes (3 patients) were done under topical anesthesia and 4 (2 patients) under general anesthesia. All 9 eyes (100%) showed complete regression of ROP with release of traction, restoration of retinal anatomy at a mean of 3.7+/- 2.7 months (range, 2-8.5 months; median, 2.5 months). Conclusion Indirect laser photocoagulation is an effective treatment measure in premature infants presenting late with fibrovascular proliferation having high fibrous components and starting Stage 4a ROP in Zone II. Laser rather than IVI of Anti-VEGF may save those infants from crunch phenomenon and need for vitrectomy with final good anatomical and thus visual outcomes.

Applying novel self‐supervised learning for early detection of retinopathy of prematurity

AbstractRetinopathy of prematurity (ROP) mainly occurs in premature infants with low birth weight, and it is the leading cause of childhood blindness. Early and accurate ROP diagnosis is imperative for appropriate treatment. However, less research concentrates on early‐stage ROP diagnosis based on limited‐labelled images in an imbalanced dataset. To address the dilemma, this study proposed a novel self‐supervised network, MOCO‐MIM, for early ROP grading. The proposed classification network was evaluated on a total of 553 labelled fundus images from 89 preterm infants. The trained network achieved a test accuracy of 98.29% and an AUC score of 97.6% for three stages of grading. The adopted method is verified that the proposed method can be detected early stages of ROP more efficiently and grade the severity more accurately based on limited‐labelled fundus images, which is superior to the existing state‐of‐the‐art methods.

Assessment of the Knowledge of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) in a Cohort of Nurses in Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major cause of childhood blindness that can be prevented by early detection and treatment. Nurses and midwives are important stakeholders in neonatal services who can help increase awareness to ensure early detection, thereby reducing the risk of blindness. Objectives: To determine the knowledge of a cohort of nurses in Ogun state about ROP and ROP screening. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses and midwives in Ogun State, Nigeria. A self-administered structured Google form (questionnaire) was used to obtain information on their knowledge and practice concerning ROP in their centres. Results: A total of 117 nurses participated in the study. These comprised 93.2% females, and the mean age was 38.5±3.5years. The majority of the participants were within the 41-50 years age group. A total of 70.9% had ever worked in a neonatal unit. Ninety-seven (82.9%) were aware of ROP, of which 76.1% could correctly define the condition. Sixty-nine per cent had a good knowledge score for ROP, while there was a poor knowledge score for screening in 62.4%. Conclusion: Though the participants had good knowledge about ROP, their knowledge of screening for early detection was poor. There is a need for intense dissemination of information on ROP, especially the need for screening of newborn infants among nurses and midwives.

Molecular hydrogen promotes retinal vascular regeneration and attenuates neovascularization and neuroglial dysfunction in oxygen-induced retinopathy mice

BackgroundRetinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a proliferative retinal vascular disease occurring in the retina of premature infants and is the main cause of childhood blindness. Nowadays anti-VEGF and retinal photocoagulation are mainstream treatments for ROP, but they develop a variety of complications. Hydrogen (H2) is widely considered as a useful neuroprotective and antioxidative therapeutic method for hypoxic-ischemic disease without toxic effects. However, whether H2 provides physiological angiogenesis promotion, neovascularization suppression and glial protection in the progression of ROP is largely unknown.This study aims to investigate the effects of H2 on retinal angiogenesis, neovascularization and neuroglial dysfunction in the retinas of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mice.MethodsIn this study, mice that were seven days old and either wild-type (WT) or Nrf2-deficient (Nrf2−/−) were exposed to 75% oxygen for 5 days and then returned to normal air conditions. Different stages of hydrogen gas (H2) inhalation were administered. Vascular obliteration, neovascularization, and blood vessel leakage were analyzed and compared. To count the number of neovascularization endothelial nuclei, routine HE staining of retinal sections was conducted. Immunohistochemistry was performed using DyLight 594 labeled GSL I-isolectin B4 (IB4), as well as primary antibodies against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and Iba-1. Western blots were used to measure the expression of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Notch1, Dll4, and HIF-1α. Additionally, the expression of target genes such as NQO1, HO-1, Notch1, Hey1, Hey2, and Dll4 was measured. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with H2 under hypoxia were used as an in vitro model. RT-PCR was used to evaluate the mRNA expression of Nrf2, Notch/Dll4, and the target genes. The expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was observed using immunofluorescence staining.ResultsOur results indicate that 3–4% H2 does not disturb retinal physiological angiogenesis, but ameliorates vaso-obliteration and neovascularization in OIR mice. Moreover, H2 prevents the decreased density and reverses the morphologic and functional changes in retinal astrocytes caused by oxygen-induced injury. In addition, H2 inhalation reduces microglial activation, especially in the area of neovascularization in OIR mice. H2 plays a protective role in vascular regeneration by promoting Nrf2 activation and suppressing the Dll4-induced Notch signaling pathway in vivo. Also, H2 promotes the proliferation of HUVECs under hypoxia by negatively regulating the Dll4/Notch pathway and reducing ROS levels through Nrf2 pathway aligning with our findings in vivo.Moreover, the retinal oxygen-sensing mechanisms (HIF-1α/VEGF) are also involved in hydrogen-mediated retinal revascularization and neovascularization suppression.ConclusionsCollectively, our results indicate that H2 could be a promising therapeutic agent for POR treatment and that its beneficial effect in human ROP might involve the activation of the Nrf2-Notch axis as well as HIF-1α/VEGF pathways.Graphical

RDLR: A Robust Deep Learning-Based Image Registration Method for Pediatric Retinal Images.

Retinal diseases stand as a primary cause of childhood blindness. Analyzing the progression of these diseases requires close attention to lesion morphology and spatial information. Standard image registration methods fail to accurately reconstruct pediatric fundus images containing significant distortion and blurring. To address this challenge, we proposed a robust deep learning-based image registration method (RDLR). The method consisted of two modules: registration module (RM) and panoramic view module (PVM). RM effectively integrated global and local feature information and learned prior information related to the orientation of images. PVM was capable of reconstructing spatial information in panoramic images. Furthermore, as the registration model was trained on over 280,000 pediatric fundus images, we introduced a registration annotation automatic generation process coupled with a quality control module to ensure the reliability of training data. We compared the performance of RDLR to the other methods, including conventional registration pipeline (CRP), voxel morph (WM), generalizable image matcher (GIM), and self-supervised techniques (SS). RDLR achieved significantly higher registration accuracy (average Dice score of 0.948) than the other methods (ranging from 0.491 to 0.802). The resulting panoramic retinal maps reconstructed by RDLR also demonstrated substantially higher fidelity (average Dice score of 0.960) compared to the other methods (ranging from 0.720 to 0.783). Overall, the proposed method addressed key challenges in pediatric retinal imaging, providing an effective solution to enhance disease diagnosis. Our source code is available at https://github.com/wuwusky/RobustDeepLeraningRegistration .

Genetic Characterization of 191 Probands with Inherited Retinal Dystrophy by Targeted NGS Analysis.

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) represent a frequent cause of blindness in children and adults. As a consequence of the phenotype and genotype heterogeneity of the disease, it is difficult to have a specific diagnosis without molecular testing. To date, over 340 genes and loci have been associated with IRDs. We present the molecular finding of 191 individuals with IRD, analyzed by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). For 67 of them, we performed a family segregation study, considering a total of 126 relatives. A total of 359 variants were identified, 44 of which were novel. Genetic diagnostic yield was 41%. However, after stratifying the patients according to their clinical suspicion, diagnostic yield was higher for well-characterized diseases such as Stargardt disease (STGD), at 65%, and for congenital stationary night blindness 2 (CSNB2), at 64%. Diagnostic yield was higher in the patient group where family segregation analysis was possible (68%) and it was higher in younger (55%) than in older patients (33%). The results of this analysis demonstrated that targeted NGS is an effective method for establishing a molecular genetic diagnosis of IRDs. Furthermore, this study underlines the importance of segregation studies to understand the role of genetic variants with unknow pathogenic role.

Retinopathy of prematurity in Germany over 13 years: incidences, treatment preferences and effects of national guideline changes

ObjectiveRetinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading yet avoidable cause of childhood blindness. Screening for ROP is highly effective in preventing blindness secondary to ROP. We provide epidemiological data on...

Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care on Retinopathy of Prematurity in Neonates Less Than 1,800 g or Below 34 Weeks of Gestation

Introduction KMC (Kangaroo Mother Care) is an established intervention to reduce mortality and morbidity in low birth weight (LBW) neonates. A multitude of risk factors and preventive strategies for ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) have been studied, however, the effect of KMC on ROP has not been reported. This study aims to study the effect of KMC on ROP in neonates with birth weights between 1,000 and 1,800 g. Methods The babies who received effective KMC (&gt;6 hours per 24 hours for three consecutive days) were analysed in the intervention group and those with ineffective KMC were analysed in the control group. Variables significant in univariate analysis were entered into backward regression models in multivariate analysis. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. P values &lt; .05 are taken as significant. Results Of 783 neonates enrolled, 66 (8.4%) developed ROP (any stage). The incidence of ROP requiring intervention was 1.02%. Effective KMC reduced the risk of ROP by 95%, RR 0.05 (0.02–0.12) and number needed to treat = 5. The proportion of neonates with ROP in zone 1 and stage 3 was more in the ineffective KMC (42.4% vs. 1.5%) group than in the effective KMC group (51.5% vs. 0%) ( P &lt; .001). Ineffective KMC, gestation &lt;30 weeks, small for gestation, obstetric complications, asphyxia, sepsis, higher initial PEEP and lack of breastfeeding were significant risk factors for developing ROP. Conclusion KMC, an effective intervention to improve the mortality and morbidity in LBW neonates, was significantly associated with the reduction of any stage ROP and ROP needing intervention, potentially preventing a significant cause of childhood blindness.

The incidence and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity in South Korea: A nationwide cohort study.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major treatable cause of childhood blindness. Thus, epidemiological investigations are necessary for detecting and preventing ROP. Determining risk factors for ROP are also essential to improve screening methods. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors of ROP in Korea. The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) covers almost all Koreans. Furthermore, the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children (NHSPIC) is a government-run, health-screening program for children aged < 6 years. We used the NHIS-Infants and Children's Health Screening cohort database to evaluate the incidence of preterm infants and ROP. The database contains data on 84,005 participants, drawn from 5% of the NHSPIC survey on participants born annually during 2008 to 2012. Sociodemographic factors and systemic diseases were assessed as potential risk factors for ROP. We identified 2615 premature infants (3.11%); 846 of them had ROP (cumulative incidence: 32.4%). Although preterm births increased annually in 2008 to 2012, the ROP incidence in preterm infants did not increase by the birth year. Twenty patients (2.4%) with ROP underwent laser photocoagulation or surgery. Extremely low birth weight was a high risk factor (odds ratio [OR] = 49.86, P < .001). Moreover, chorioamnionitis (OR = 2.77, P = .028), respiratory distress syndrome (OR = 4.09, P < .001), apnea (OR = 1.59, P = .008), anemia (OR = 2.41, P < .001), and intraventricular hemorrhage (OR = 2.34, P < .001) were found to be risk factors for ROP. In conclusion, the incidence of premature babies increased between 2008 and 2012. However, the overall incidence of ROP among premature infants remained unchanged by birth year. Our findings revealed the roles of birth weight, respiratory conditions, anemia, and intraventricular hemorrhage in ROP.

Chiasm gliomas in pediatric patients. Part 1. Сlinical manifestations

Chiasm gliomas are very important heterogeneous group of tumors manifesting in the first and second decades of life and is the second leading cause of blindness in children with neurosurgical pathology. It is a benign, slow-growing piloid astrocytoma, accounting for 1–5% of intracranial gliomas in children. The incidence of neurofibromatosis type 1 among patients with chiasm glioma ranges from 7 to 60%. The location of the tumor is determined based on ophthalmological symptoms, neuroimaging data (MRI), and surgical findings. The initial growth of the tumor occurs in the anterior visual pathway structures (optic nerves, chiasm, optic tracts) and leads to ophthalmological symptoms, which are dominant in the clinical manifestations of the disease. Chiasm damage may occur in one or both optic nerves, in one or both optic tracts. Damage to the chiasm manifests as bitemporal heteronymous hemianopsia. Moreover, the spread of the tumor to the optic nerves is accompanied by decreased visual acuity. Damage to the optic tract is manifested by homonymous hemianopia and normal visual acuity. However, isolated damage to the optic tract is uncommon and usually occurs with chiasm and optic nerve lesions; hence, visual disturbances are more complex. Lesions in the optic nerve fibers in the chiasm and optic nerves/tracts lead to primary descending atrophy of the optic nerves. Papilledema with optic nerve atrophy indicates occlusive hydrocephalus. Delayed diagnosis of the disease affects treatment results.