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LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
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Year : 2017 | Volume
: 65
| Issue : 7 | Page : 640-641 |
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Comment on: Visual function of children with visual and other disabilities in Oman: A case series
Swetha Sara Philip
Department of Ophthalmology, The Cerebral Visual Impairment Clinic, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
Date of Web Publication | 20-Jul-2017 |
Correspondence Address: Swetha Sara Philip Department of Ophthalmology, The Cerebral Visual Impairment Clinic, Christian Medical College, Vellore - 632 001, Tamil Nadu India
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_139_17
How to cite this article: Philip SS. Comment on: Visual function of children with visual and other disabilities in Oman: A case series. Indian J Ophthalmol 2017;65:640-1 |
Sir,
I read with interest the article titled, “visual function of children with visual and other disabilities in Oman: A case series” by Gogri et al.[1] The authors have not defined what they mean by visual function. It is already well accepted in literature that vision is not only just “visual acuity” but also how a person interprets his surroundings.[2] Visual function not only involves neurophthalmological assessment such as strabismus, nystagmus, and saccades but also higher visual function assessments such as visual field, visual attention, visual search, visual task performance, and visual recognition and orientation.[3] This information seems to be missing in the article. The article is a bit confusing as the topic is on visual function in children with special needs, but the article is mainly emphasizing on refractive error and low vision aids. In the abstract, the authors have mentioned that this paper presents the different methods of assessing visual function, outcomes and interventions. However, there is no mention of the outcomes of the interventions carried out except to state in the methodology section that glasses and low vision were prescribed and outcomes discussed with institution in-charge and timely follow-up recommended. In the result section of the article, the age group mentioned is 3–8 years (mean age 8.7 years), however, in the abstract, the age group studied is 3–18 years. Likewise, the numbers in Group 4 need some clarification. Assessing visual function in children with other disabilities like cerebral palsy cannot be limited to the tests mentioned in this article as many of these children can have a cerebral visual impairment (CVI).
CVI is emerging as the commonest cause of visual impairment in children both in the first and third world countries.[4] This condition due to its varied clinical presentation often goes unnoticed.[5] To assess CVI, it is important for pediatric ophthalmologist and optometrist to undergo specialized training. A proper assessment and management can give a much fuller life to these children.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
References | | |
1. | Gogri U, Khandekar R, Al Harby S. Visual function of children with visual and other disabilities in Oman: A case series. Indian J Ophthalmol 2016;64:888-92. [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
2. | Dutton GN, Bax M. Visual Impairment in Children Due to Brain Damage. London: Mac Keith Press; 2010. |
3. | Lennie P, Van Hemel SB, editors. Visual Impairments: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US); 2002. |
4. | Philip SS, Dutton GN. Identifying and characterising cerebral visual impairment in children: A review. Clin Exp Optom 2014;97:196-208. [ PUBMED] |
5. | Dutton GN. The spectrum of cerebral visual impairment as a sequel to premature birth: An overview. Doc Ophthalmol 2013;127:69-78. [ PUBMED] |
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