Parent and Teacher Perspectives on Factors Decreasing Participation in School-Based Vision Programs.

Purpose: To examine factors decreasing participation in school-based vision programs from parent and teacher perspectives.Methods: We conducted 41 semi-structured focus groups (20 parent groups, 21 teacher/staff groups), at 10 Baltimore and 11 Chicago public elementary and middle schools offering school-based vision programs. School-based vision programs provided vision screening, eye exams, and eyeglasses if needed. Focus groups ranged in size from 2-9 participants (median = 5). Sessions were recorded, transcribed, and coded through an iterative process to develop themes using inductive analysis.Results: Ninety parents and 117 teachers/staff participated. Participants identified five major factors decreasing participation in school-based vision programs: (1) challenges with the consent form, including distribution, collection, and literacy and language barriers; (2) having existing eye care; (3) misunderstandings about the program, especially related to cost and insurance; (4) difficulty raising parental awareness of the program; and (5) certain attitudes towards vision, eye care, and school-based programs, including low prioritization of eye care, mistrust of the program, fear of sharing private information, not believing their child needs glasses, and reluctance accepting 'subsidized' services.Conclusion: Parents and teachers identified important structural barriers to participation (i.e., consent form challenges and low parental awareness) and specific reasons for non-participation (i.e., attitudes, misunderstanding of the program, existing eye care) in school-based vision programs. Effective strategies are needed to facilitate return of consent forms and promote awareness of school-based vision programs among parents. Programs should also target services towards those currently without access to eye care and increase awareness about paediatric vision needs.

Gestational age assessment in preterm neonates weighing less than 1500 grams.

Postnatal assessment of gestational age in preterm neonates traditionally has been performed using the methods of Dubowitz and Ballard. This study was designed to determine the accuracy of these methods in a sample of very low birth weight preterm neonates. Dubowitz and Ballard examinations were done on 110 preterm neonates within the first 72 hours of life by a neonatologist masked to the gestational age assessed antenatally. Mean birth weight was 1066 +/- 256 g (SD). These data were compared with gestational age assessments using last menstrual period and best obstetric estimate calculated by an obstetrician unaware of the neonatal examination. Mean gestational age using last menstrual period was 28.3 +/- 2.9 weeks. Mean differences between last menstrual period and Dubowitz/Ballard were -2.8 +/- 2.1 weeks and -2.6 +/- 2.2 weeks, respectively. Results using best obstetric estimate were similar. An ophthalmologist examined lens vessels of 89 neonates. A similar pattern toward overestimation of gestational age interval by Dubowitz/Ballard was seen at each lens vessel grade. The Dubowitz and Ballard examinations are inaccurate methods of assessing gestational age in preterm neonates with birth weights less than 1500 g.

Refractive error and axial length in a primate model of strabismus and congenital nystagmus.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the development of refractive error and axial length in a primate model of sensory strabismus and nystagmus. METHODS: Four macaque monkeys had alternating tarsorraphy beginning within 24 hours of birth. One eye was closed for 25 days, and when it opened, the second eye immediately was closed for the next 25 days. Cycloplegic refractions and axial lengths were determined prospectively for three animals for 1 year or more. These data were compared to those of three unsutured control macaques raised under otherwise similar conditions. RESULTS: Each experimental animal developed exotropia and nystagmus. The first occluded eyes were significantly more hypermetropic than the control eyes at 1 month of age (+7.25 D +/- 1.95 D versus +1.92 D +/- 1.27 D; P < 0.02) and remained significantly more hypermetropic throughout the study. The second occluded eyes were more hypermetropic than the control eyes at 1 month (+2.42 D +/- 2.13 D versus +1.92 D +/- 1.27 D; P = 0.20), but less hypermetropic than the first occluded eyes. The rate of emmetropization was slightly faster for the first occluded eyes than for the control eyes (-0.12 D/month compared to -0.03 D/month). The mean axial length measurements of the experimental and control eyes were the same at 1 month, and their rates of change over time were identical. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent hypermetropia was produced by a brief period of reverse neonatal eyelid closure in a model of congenital-like nystagmus. It is suggested that infantile lid closure, nystagmus, or amblyopia after neonatal visual disruption may be associated with a failure of normal emmetropization.

Early visual deprivation results in persistent strabismus and nystagmus in monkeys.

To understand to what extent visual-pattern deprivation during infancy results in strabismus and nystagmus, the authors examined the long-term consequences of this type of deprivation in monkeys during the first 50 days of life. Three cynomolgus and three rhesus monkeys had the eyelids sutured closed within 24 hr of birth. At 25 days of age, the eyelids were opened, and the eyelids of the fellow eye were sutured closed for an additional 25 days (reverse-eyelid suture). When the eyelids were opened at 50 days of age, each monkey was found to have 20-30 delta of exotropia and nystagmus, which persisted for the duration of the study (1 yr). The cynomolgus monkeys developed a monocular 8-10 Hz pendular nystagmus in the eye sutured first. The rhesus monkeys developed a conjugate nystagmus with both jerk and pendular components. The slow phases often had velocity-increasing profiles. The rhesus monkeys also had a superimposed latent component to the nystagmus found during monocular viewing. One additional rhesus monkey was examined after 55 days of binocular-eyelid suturing. This monkey also developed exotropia and nystagmus resembling that of the other rhesus monkeys. These findings suggest that early pattern vision in monkeys is necessary for the development of normal ocular alignment and gaze-holding ability.

Involution of retinopathy of prematurity. Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity Cooperative Group.

OBJECTIVE: To report the timing of involution of acute retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). DESIGN: An analysis of prospective retinal observational data recorded at infants' eye examinations. PARTICIPANTS: Infants from the Multicenter Trial of Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity (CRYO-ROP) had birth weights less than 1251 g and served as subjects. The study population included 766 children who were examined in 5 of the 23 study centers and who developed at least 1 clock hour of acute ROP, stages 1 through 3. One eye from each patient was randomly chosen for analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Investigators documented the location, extent, and severity of ROP during serial retinal examinations. The onset of the ROP's involution was determined from a review of these data, applying a set of predetermined criteria. RESULTS: Acute-phase ROP began to involute at a mean of 38.6 weeks postmenstrual age. In 90% of patients, the ROP began to involute before 44 weeks of postmenstrual age. Acute ROP that demonstrated involution by moving from zone II to zone III was associated with an unfavorable outcome in 2 (1%) of 200 cases. Retinopathy of prematurity that was present only in zone III during a child's serial retinal examinations was never associated with the development of a partial or total retinal detachment. CONCLUSIONS: The onset of involution of acute retinopathy of prematurity correlates better with postmenstrual rather than with chronological age. This is reminiscent of the reported similar correlation of postmenstrual age to the time of onset of prethreshold and threshold ROP. Zone III ROP was nearly always associated with a favorable outcome.

Treatment of acquired nystagmus with botulinum neurotoxin A.

OBJECTIVE: Acquired nystagmus may cause oscillopsia and in some cases decreased visual acuity. Such symptoms may be debilitating. We evaluated the efficacy of retrobulbar botulinum neurotoxin A in the visual rehabilitation of patients with acquired symptomatic nystagmus. PATIENTS: Adults with acquired nystagmus from multiple sclerosis or brain-stem hemorrhage were recruited for this treatment study. Eligible patients were unable to perform visual tasks that they had performed prior to the onset of the nystagmus. DESIGN AND INTERVENTION: A prospective study evaluated the results of the retrobulbar injection of 25 to 30 U of botulinum neurotoxin A. Patients underwent testing of visual function, including eye movement recordings before and after initial injections. Patients were followed up for changes in their visual function for at least 6 months following the last injection. RESULTS: Six patients (nine eyes) with acquired nystagmus were treated with a series of 17 injections of retrobulbar botulinum neurotoxin A. Each patient had subjective and objective improvement in distance visual acuity following the injection. A reduction in the amplitude of the nystagmus was seen following each of the injections, but the frequency of the nystagmus was generally unchanged. Visual improvement usually lasted no more than 8 weeks. However, improvement persisted for 6 months after injection in two patients with oculopalatal myoclonus. CONCLUSION: Botulinum neurotoxin A transiently improves the visual function of patients with acquired nystagmus. For patients with oculopalatal myoclonus the improvement seems to last longer, about 6 months in two patients.

Surfactant prophylaxis and retinopathy of prematurity.

OBJECTIVE: The use of exogenous surfactant has led to a decrease in mortality of low-birth-weight infants. In some instances, use of this drug has also led to a reduction in neonatal morbidity, such as respiratory distress syndrome. This study was undertaken to determine whether prophylactic surfactant therapy has an effect on the incidence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity. DESIGN: The authors reviewed the findings of sequential prospective ophthalmologic examinations performed in two neonatal intensive care units that participated in randomized trials of prophylactic exogenous mammalian surfactant. PATIENTS: There were 43 patients in the control group (no prophylactic surfactant) and 43 patients in the prophylactic surfactant group. These groups did not differ on the basis of birth weight, gestational age, race, or gender. RESULTS: The incidence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity did not vary between the control and surfactant-treated infants. Only birth weight appeared to be significantly related to the incidence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the widespread use of prophylactic surfactant therapy will not change the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity in extremely low-birth-weight infants. However, the absolute number of affected patients will likely increase because of the decrease in mortality of extremely low-birth-weight patients, the patients most at risk for retinopathy of prematurity.

The amblyopia treatment study visual acuity testing protocol.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability of a new visual acuity testing protocol for children using isolated surrounded HOTV optotypes. METHODS: After initial pilot testing and modification, the protocol was evaluated using the Baylor-Video Acuity Tester (BVAT) to present isolated surrounded HOTV optotypes. At 6 sites, the protocol was evaluated for testability in 178 children aged 2 to 7 years and for reliability in a subset of 88 children. Twenty-eight percent of the 178 children were classified as having amblyopia. RESULTS: Using the modified protocol, testability ranged from 24% in 2-year-olds to 96% in 5- to 7-year-olds. Test-retest reliability was high (r = 0.82), with 93% of retest scores within 0.1 logMAR unit of the initial test score. The 95% confidence interval for an acuity score was calculated to be the score +/-0.125 logMAR unit. For a change between 2 acuity scores, the 95% confidence interval was the difference +/-0.18 logMAR unit. CONCLUSIONS: The visual acuity protocol had a high level of testability in 3- to 7-year-olds and excellent test-retest reliability. The protocol has been incorporated into the multicenter Amblyopia Treatment Study and has wide potential application for standardizing visual acuity testing in children.

Spontaneous regression of optic gliomas: thirteen cases documented by serial neuroimaging.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate spontaneous regression of large, clinically symptomatic optic pathway gliomas in patients with and without neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). METHODS: Patient cases were collected through surveys at 2 consecutive annual meetings of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS) and through requests on the NANOSNET Internet listserv. Serial documentation of tumor signal and size, using magnetic resonance imaging in 11 patients and computed tomography in 2 patients, was used to evaluate clinically symptomatic optic pathway gliomas. All tumors met radiologic criteria for the diagnosis of glioma and 4 patients had biopsy confirmation of their tumors. In 3 patients, some attempt at therapy had been made many years before regression occurred. In one of these, radiation treatment had been given 19 years before tumor regression, while in another, chemotherapy had been administered 5 years before signal changes in the tumor. In the third patient, minimal surgical debulking was performed 1 year before the tumor began to shrink. RESULTS: Spontaneous tumor shrinkage was noted in 12 patients. Eight patients did not have NF-1. In an additional patient without NF-1, a signal change within the tumor without associated shrinkage was detected. Tumor regression was associated with improvement in visual function in 10 of 13 patients, stability of function in 1, and deterioration in 2. CONCLUSIONS: Large, clinically symptomatic optic gliomas may undergo spontaneous regression. Regression was seen in patients with and without NF-1. Regression may manifest either as an overall shrinkage in tumor size, or as a signal change on magnetic resonance imaging. A variable degree of improvement in visual function may accompany regression. The possibility of spontaneous regression of an optic glioma should be considered in the planning of treatment of patients with these tumors.

Congenital cystic eye: report of two cases and review of the literature.

A 13-month-old boy and a 2-week-old girl, who were considered to be anophthalmic and who later each developed a cystic lesion in the left orbit with protrusion of the lower eyelid, were studied. The fellow eye in case 1 was subsequently found to be microphthalmic with cyst and was normal in case 2. Histopathologic study of each case revealed a cyst lined externally by dense fibrous connective tissue to which skeletal muscle and adipose tissue were attached. The inner aspect of the cyst was lined by neuroglial tissue, possible immature retinal tissue, and cuboidal epithelium. No fully developed ocular structures or microphthalmos were identified. Fourteen cases of congenital cystic eye, including our cases, have been published in the English-language literature since 1964. We discuss and illustrate the findings in our cases and 10 others in which histopathologic findings were reported. Congenital cystic eye, microphthalmos with cyst, and microphthalmos with cystic teratoma should be suspected in patients with a small or unrecognizable eye and an orbital cystic mass that is detected by palpation or visualization.

Optic atrophy in children.

We reviewed the records of 218 children in whom a diagnosis of optic atrophy had been made between 1978 and 1987. A cause for the atrophy was determined for 195 patients (89%). Tumor, the most frequent cause, was found in 63 patients (29%). The most common tumor was a glioma of the anterior visual pathway; it was found in 27 patients (43% of tumors; 12% overall). The second most frequently encountered tumor, a craniopharyngioma, was found in 14 patients. Inflammation, the second most common cause of optic atrophy, occurred in 38 children (17%). Trauma caused optic atrophy in 24 patients (11%). No cause could be found for 23 patients (11%). Thirteen patients were less than 1 year of age at the time of diagnosis. Three of these patients had tumors. One was a cerebral glioblastoma, and the other two were optic gliomas. The diagnosis of optic atrophy in infancy does not imply a benign cause.

Randomized comparison of diode laser photocoagulation versus cryotherapy for threshold retinopathy of prematurity: seven-year outcome.

PURPOSE: To report the structural and functional outcomes at a minimum of 7 years postmenstrual age after randomized treatment of threshold retinopathy of prematurity with laser ablation or cryotherapy. METHODS: Nineteen patients were entered into a prospective, randomized protocol, in which one eye received cryotherapy, while the other eye received diode laser photocoagulation. Asymmetric eyes were randomly assigned. Two patients have died, and seven were no longer available for 7-year outcome examinations, leaving 10 children for analysis. RESULTS: Six males and four females with a mean birthweight of 631 g and a mean gestational age of 24.8 weeks were examined. Eight were symmetrical cases and treated in both eyes. Of these, there were six concordant and two discordant structural outcomes. The laser-treated eyes had the favorable outcome in each instance. The geometric mean visual acuity of the paired eyes after laser photocoagulation was 20/33, and after cryotherapy it was 20/133 (P =.03). The mean refractive error was -6.50 diopters after laser photocoagulation and -8.25 diopters after cryotherapy (P =.27), although one of the cryotherapy eyes could not be refracted because of phthisis. CONCLUSIONS: Laser photocoagulation appears to be associated with a structural and functional outcome at least as good as cryotherapy 7 years after therapy. Visual acuity and refractive error data suggest that laser photocoagulation may have an advantage over cryotherapy.

Pseudotumor cerebri.

Two young women with idiopathic pseudotumor cerebri were treated successfully with lumboperitoneal shunts. Their shunts were removed electively several years later, following which there was rapid increase of cerebrospinal fluid pressure. In one patient, rapid increase of intracranial pressure resulted in bilateral visual loss. These cases provide further evidence that idiopathic pseudotumor cerebri may not be a self-limited condition.

Clinical profile and long-term implications of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

Of 196 patients with anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, 169 had the nonarteritic form and 27 had the arteritic type. Visual acuities were 20/40 or better in 83 of 184 eyes with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy but only eight of 45 eyes with the arteritic type. We found systemic disease associations for hypertension and diabetes mellitus only for patients with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy who were between 45 and 64 years of age. After a mean follow-up period of five years, 92 nonarteritic patients showed no changes in the first affected eye; there was eventual involvement of the second eye in 20 patients.

Fourth cranial nerve palsy in pediatric patients with pseudotumor cerebri.

PURPOSE: To describe three children with acute fourth cranial nerve palsy secondary to pseudotumor cerebri. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of children younger than 18 years who were diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri between 1977 and 1997. Pseudotumor cerebri was defined by normal neuro-imaging, elevated intracranial pressure measured by lumbar puncture, and normal cerebrospinal fluid composition. RESULTS: Three children with pseudotumor cerebri presented with vertical diplopia and clinical signs of fourth cranial nerve palsy including a hypertropia of the affected eye, which increased with adduction and ipsilateral head tilt. The fourth cranial nerve palsy resolved after reduction of the intracranial pressure in all three children. CONCLUSIONS: Fourth cranial nerve palsy may occur in children with pseudotumor cerebri and may be a nonspecific sign of elevated intracranial pressure.

Computerized method of visual acuity testing: adaptation of the amblyopia treatment study visual acuity testing protocol.

PURPOSE: To report a computerized method for determining visual acuity in children using the Amblyopia Treatment Study visual acuity testing protocol. METHODS: A computerized visual acuity tester was developed that uses a programmed handheld device that uses the Palm operating system (Palm, Inc, Santa Clara, California). The handheld device communicates with a personal computer running a Linux operating system and 17-inch monitor. At a test distance of 3 m, single letters can be displayed from 20/800 to 20/12. A C program on the handheld device runs the Amblyopia Treatment Study visual acuity testing protocol. Using this method, visual acuity was tested in both the right and left eyes, and then the testing was repeated in 156 children age 3 to 7 years at four clinical sites. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was high (r =.92 and 0.95 for and right and left eyes, respectively), with 88% of right eye retests and 94% of left eye retests within 0.1 logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) units of the initial test. The 95% confidence interval for an acuity score was calculated to be the score +/- 0.13 logMAR units. For a change between two acuity scores, the 95% confidence interval was the difference +/- 0.19 logMAR units. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed a computerized method for measurement of visual acuity. Automation of the Amblyopia Treatment Study visual acuity testing protocol is an effective method of testing visual acuity in children 3 to 7 years of age.

Regulation of static and dynamic ocular alignment in patients with trochlear nerve pareses.

Ocular alignment and saccades were studied in seven patients with trochlear nerve pareses, before and after strabismus surgery. Prior to surgery, a position-dependent vertical ocular misalignment was present, and downward saccades were hypometric in the paretic eye. Strabismus surgery reduced the magnitude and position-dependence of the static misalignment. Saccade conjugacy improved in the patients with congenital pareses, and in the patient with a gradual-onset acquired paresis, but less improvement occurred in subjects with traumatic pareses. The post-operative change in saccade conjugacy relative to the change in static alignment correlated with pre-operative vertical vergence, suggesting that changes in saccade yoking depend on an interaction between saccades and vertical vergence.

Common pediatric neuro-ophthalmologic conditions.

Neuro-ophthalmologic problems are some of the most distressing ocular conditions to affect children. In this article the author discusses the differential diagnosis and management of blindness during the first year of life. Nystagmus or 'jiggling eyes' tumors of the visual pathways and acquired ocular motor neuropathies comprise the balance of the article.

Amblyopia. Current clinical studies.

Over the next two years, results from several multi-center amblyopia treatment studies will become available. These data may have a profound influence on our approach to treating this condition. This is indeed an exciting time to be taking care of children with amblyopia, as we anticipate the results of these studies.

Strabismus surgery among aged medicare beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of strabismus surgery among aged patients in the United States. METHODS: The Medicare Part B claims experience (physician professional fee billing) for 1995 was reviewed for the number of times each strabismus surgical procedure recognized in Physicians' Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) was performed. To determine the indications for the procedures that were performed, a 5% sample of claims was reviewed for the pertinent International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, diagnostic codes. RESULTS: There were 27 million aged Medicare beneficiaries eligible for Part B benefits in 1995 in a fee-for-service setting. During that year physicians reported 9497 strabismus physician services. These represented 6585 separate procedures (CPT codes 67311 to 67343) and 277 botulinum toxin (Botox) injections for strabismus (CPT 67345) performed during 1995. Sixty-nine percent of the surgical procedures were for horizontal correction and 28% were for vertical correction. Adjustable sutures were used for only 1240 cases (1 9%). The add-on procedural code for reoperation surgery or surgery in the presence of restriction of the extraocular muscles was used in just 930 cases (14%). The most common diagnosis for horizontal surgery was exotropia. Paralytic strabismus and thyroid disease were identified for 17% of cases. Three percent of the diagnoses were inappropriate for the procedures performed and may have been reported in error. CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm a very low incidence of strabismus surgical procedures (2/10,000) and injections (1/100,000) among aged Medicare beneficiaries. The strabismus surgery was most often performed to repair a horizontal deviation. The adjustable suture technique was used infrequently. These data may be extrapolated into the future to aid in determining the strabismus services that will be needed early in the next century.