To evaluate the refractive outcome in 10year-old prematurely born children and in full-term control children. Methods: Retinoscopy during cycloplegia was performed in 213 prematurely born children from a previous population-based study on the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity and in 217 children born at term. The spherical equivalent, astigmatism, anisometropia, and significant refractive errors (defined as hypermetropia Ͼ3 diopters [D], myopia Յ−1 D, astigmatism Ն1 D in 1 or both eyes, and/or anisometropia Ն1 D) were analyzed. Results: Significant refractive errors were found in 29.6% of the prematurely born and in 7.8% of the full-term children. Prematurely born children had higher prevalences of hypermetropia of more than 3 D, myopia of −1

The aim of this study was to describe the orthoptic and ophthalmological findings in schoolchildren with asthenopia, to correlate them with asthenopic symptoms and to evaluate the effect of treatment. One hundred and twenty schoolchildren, aged 6-16 years, were included in the study. They were all referred by school nurses, for asthenopic symptoms. An orthoptic and ophthalmological assessment was performed. The main diagnoses were accommodative insufficiency, convergence insufficiency, refractive errors, and latent strabismus. Reading glasses could help 98% of the schoolchildren with reduced accommodation, and 94% of the children with refractive errors and heterophorias were helped with appropriate spherical, cylindrical and prism correction. Convergence exercise reduced the symptoms in all patients with convergence insufficiency. Ninety-three percent of all 120 schoolchildren were symptom free 3-6 month after treatment had started. By an orthoptic and ophthalmological examination abnormalities in schoolchildren with asthenopia related to visual problems can be identified. Most of the children were relieved from their symptoms by giving adequate glasses, convergence exercises and surgery.

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental reading disability estimated to affect 5–10% of the population. While there is yet no full understanding of the cause of dyslexia, or agreement on its precise definition, it is certain that many individuals suffer persistent problems in learning to read for no apparent reason. Although it is generally agreed that early intervention is the best form of support for children with dyslexia, there is still a lack of efficient and objective means to help identify those at risk during the early years of school. Here we show that it is possible to identify 9–10 year old individuals at risk of persistent reading difficulties by using eye tracking during reading to probe the processes that underlie reading ability. In contrast to current screening methods, which rely on oral or written tests, eye tracking does not depend on the subject to produce some overt verbal response and thus provides a natural means to objectively assess the reading process as it unfolds in real-time. Our study is based on a sample of 97 high-risk subjects with early identified word decoding difficulties and a control group of 88 low-risk subjects. These subjects were selected from a larger population of 2165 school children attending second grade. Using predictive modeling and statistical resampling techniques, we develop classification models from eye tracking records less than one minute in duration and show that the models are able to differentiate high-risk subjects from low-risk subjects with high accuracy. Although dyslexia is fundamentally a language-based learning disability, our results suggest that eye movements in reading can be highly predictive of individual reading ability and that eye tracking can be an efficient means to identify children at risk of long-term reading difficulties.

Asthenopia was significantly associated with uncorrected visual acuity < or = 0.65 and with myopia (spherical equivalent -0.50 D or less) among Swedish schoolchildren.

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The aim of the study was to assess different visual acuity tests in the age group 1 1/2-6 years in 105 children with assumed normal vision, visual impairment due to ocular disease or strabismus. Acuity tasks for young children can be divided into three subtypes according to the kind of stimulus used. For "detection acuity", the stimulus should be detected or distinguished from the background, as assessed with the Stycar Rolling Balls. For "resolution acuity", the stimulus pattern should be resolved, as assessed with the Preferential Looking procedure (Teller Acuity Cards). For "recognition acuity", the stimulus must be recognized by the subject as assessed with the BUST-D symbol test, Sheridan Gardiner (S-G) single letters, LH single symbols and line tests, and also the HVOT test. Different acuity values were obtained with regard to detection, resolution and recognition acuities. Assessment with the Stycar Rolling Balls only gave a rough estimate of the visual function. There was an overestimation of the acuity values in all groups of children when using the Preferential Looking technique. Good agreement was found between the LH line and HVOT tests. The BUST-D test, S-G single letters, and LH single symbols gave slightly better acuity values than linear recognition tests. A "crowding ratio" was calculated by dividing the single optotype acuity by the linear acuity, and also by dividing the grating acuity by the optotype linear and single acuity. The crowding ratio varied in the individual children and in the different groups, being highest for strabismic amblyopia. The general conclusion is that reliable visual acuity measurements were not obtained until the visual acuity could be assessed with a recognition test using linear letters or symbols.

ABSTRACT.Purpose: To determine different ophthalmological parameters in 10-year-old, healthy, full-term children in Stockholm County, Sweden. Methods: Two hundred and seventeen children were included in the study. Bestcorrected distance and near visual acuities (VA) were measured using logMAR charts. Cycloplegic retinoscopy was performed, and spherical equivalent and astigmatism were determined. Examination of ocular movement and cover test for distance and near were performed. Stereopsis was assessed with the TNO test, and contrast sensitivity with the Vistech test. The Royal Air Force rule was used for assessing accommodation, and near point of convergence was measured with the Lang fixation stick. Ophthalmoscopy was performed through dilated pupils. Results: Eighty-two per cent of the children had a distance VA of À0.1 logMAR (1.3 Snellen acuity) or better. None of the children were visually impaired [VA >0.6 logMAR (<0.3 Snellen acuity)]. Ninety-three per cent had a near VA of À0.1 logMAR (1.25 Snellen acuity) or better. Mean spherical equivalent was 0.6 D. Eight (3.6%) children had hypermetropia (≥+2 D), and 17 (7.8%) were myopic (≤À0.5 D). Nine (4.1%) children had an astigmatism ≥1 D, and two (0.9%) had anisometropia of ≥1 D. Manifest strabismus was found in seven (3.2%) children, five of whom had exotropia. Heterophoria for distance and/or near was found in 80.2% of the children. In children without manifest strabismus, stereopsis >60 seconds of arc was found in five (2.4%). Three (1.4%) of 215 children had contrast sensitivity below normal limits. Binocular median near point of accommodation was 14 D, and median near point of convergence 6 cm. Conclusion: Knowledge of various visual functions in normally developing children is crucial to be able to draw conclusions from ophthalmological examinations in children with eye diseases. This population-based study describes different ophthalmological parameters in full-term ten-year-old children. The material can be used as a control when examining children of similar ages with various ophthalmological conditions, such as groups of children with specific neurological or retinal diseases, and syndromes.