Ophthalmologic Findings in Children With Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Abstract

In this study, the overall prevalence of ophthalmologic findings in children with SNHL was 21.7%. Ophthalmologic anomalies were present in 3.7% of children with GJB2 mutations. Routine ophthalmologic examination can be beneficial in the evaluation of children with SNHL.

Findings from multidisciplinary evaluation of children with permanent hearing loss

“…The prevalence of ophthalmologic findings in children with SNHL is reported to be between 21% and 60% [14,15]. Just over half (53.5%) of our cohort completed an ophthalmologic evaluation.…”

Evaluation of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in the pediatric patient

“…In their study, genetic consultation found a genetic cause in 25% and ophthalmologic consultation found abnormalities associated with hearing loss in 8% [13]. Overall, studies that examined ophthalmologic findings specifically in hearing loss children, found specific anomalies in 21-43% of patients [14,15].…”

“…Inclusion criteria were that the patient was seen at our institution during the specified time period, were under the age of 18 years, and had a diagnosis of USNHL identified using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-9) code of 389. 15. These inclusion criteria identified 120 patients.…”

Diagnostic Evaluation of Children with Sensorineural Hearing Loss

“…18,[20][21][22][23] The rationale for this is 2-fold. First and more common, in children with SNHL, unrecognized decreased visual acuity can lead to additional communication problems, which may be critical in these children, who are already at risk for speech and language delays.…”

“…[21][22][23] The overall yield of a consultation is 20% to 57% for identifying an ophthalmologic abnormality (predominantly unrecognized refractive errors but also strabismus and amblyopia). 18,20,21,24 Second, ophthalmologic findings may be associated with syndromic SNHL, thereby helping to identify a known syndrome (eg, Usher, Stickler). In 2% to 8% of patients, the ophthalmologic finding leads to the identification of the cause of the hearing loss.…”