SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology

cross-sectional·ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, public health, epidemiology, observational study·PMC10454530

The Burden of Pediatric Visual Impairment and Ocular Diagnoses in Barbados

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 10 authors, 2 centres

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AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

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TL;DR

The mean age at first visit was 7.8 years, with a female predominance (56.1%).

Full summary

218 CHARS

The mean age at first visit was 7.8 years, with a female predominance (56.1%). Notably, retinopathy of prematurity was not identified as a cause of visual impairment in this cohort, contrasting with data from Suriname.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

ophthalmology

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

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100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10454530

The Burden of Pediatric Visual Impairment and Ocular Diagnoses in Barbados

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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ABSTRACT

Abstract Visual impairment (VI) negatively affects a child’s quality of life. The prevalence of VI in the Caribbean is nearly three times higher than in the United States, but the causes remain uncertain. This study leverages Barbados’ unique eye care system to survey the eye diseases and VI prevalence in Barbadian children. Medical records of all patients aged <19 years who received ophthalmic care in Barbados’ two public eye care centers between January and December 2019 were reviewed, capturing the entirety of public pediatric eye care within the study period. Age at the first visit to the clinic and at the final visit in 2019, sex, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), past medical history, and clinical diagnoses were extracted and analyzed. VI was defined as a BCVA of 6/12 or worse in the better-seeing eye. There were 3278 patient records with a mean age at the first visit of 7.8 ± 3.9 years. There were 80 (2.4%) children with VI, 62.5% of which were attributed to amblyopia. A total of 94% of VI was preventable or treatable. The most common diagnoses were refractive error (87.5%), strabismus (27.5%), and allergic eye disease (20.0%). Amblyopia is the major cause of pediatric VI in Barbados and is largely avoidable. Keywords: amblyopia, pediatrics, visual impairment, vision, blindness, refractive error, strabismus, public health, Caribbean

CITATION EXPORT

Kirsten Da Silva, Michelle Dowell, Eleonore J Savatovsky et al.. The Burden of Pediatric Visual Impairment and Ocular Diagnoses in Barbados. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20166554

AUTHORS

10 · 2 CENTRES

Kirsten Da Silva, Michelle Dowell, Eleonore J Savatovsky, Dawn Grosvenor, David Callender, Michael H Campbell, Ian Hambleton, Elizabeth A Vanner, Alana L Grajewski, Ta Chen Chang

1Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA; [email protected] (K.D.S.); [email protected] (E.J.S.); [email protected] (E.A.V.); [email protected] (A.L.G.)
2Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Bridgetown BB11000, Barbados; [email protected] (M.D.); [email protected] (D.G.); [email protected] (D.C.); [email protected] (M.H.C.); [email protected] (I.H.)