Pediatrics

The burden of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is great, and researchers are still working to find the most effective and safest treatments, said David Barañano, MD, PhD, at the 24th annual Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting.

Bioptigen has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA to begin marketing its hand-held spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) device (Envisu) for use in patients.

The jury is still out on the effects of anesthesia in children who undergo surgery at a young age, according to Constance S. Houck, MD. Multiple animal studies have demonstrated neuroapoptosis and long-term learning deficits in young animals after administration of general anesthesia, but population-based studies in humans have been far less clear.

The Pediatric Cataract Initiative (PCI) has awarded two research grants of $50,000 each, for projects by ORBIS in South Africa and Zambia and The International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) in Bangladesh, for their work to reduce the prevalence of childhood blindness.

Clarity Medical Systems Inc. has announced the implementation of a significant program using its proprietary pediatric wide-field digital imaging system (RetCam) in the Russian Federation. The digital imaging system is used to create high-quality digital images of the exterior and interior of infant eyes to determine if infants have pediatric ocular diseases.

“Eye Health: Everyone's Business” will be the theme of the ninth general assembly of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, which will be held Sept. 17 to 20 in Hyderabad, India. All ophthalmologists, optometrists, and other eye-care service providers and health-care professionals are invited.

Remotes for the Nintendo Wii gaming system have been known to do everything from sharpen a player’s tennis skills to help rid the world of zombies. So perhaps it’s not surprising that they can also help identify children who have ocular torticollis.

Use of spectacles, contact lenses, or medications does not inhibit the progression of myopia for any length of time, as seen in in large major studies in children.

Uveitic glaucoma in children is a common complication of anterior uveitis that often coexists with cataract and band keratopathy.

Kayla Helferich, 8, from South Carolina, is the grand prize winner in Prevent Blindness America’s (PBA’s) “Most Beautiful Eyes” contest. Helferich has been awarded a $25,000 scholarship and will become the face of Star Pupils, PBA’s signature children's eye health program.

Monofocal IOLs provide good distance and near visual acuities of about 20/40 or better for pediatric patients when the targeted vision is within 1 D of emmetropia.

Decorative or cosmetic contact lenses sold without a prescription- such as those popular at Halloween -can pose a serious health risk.

Medical device company Bioptigen Inc. will use a $2.7 million, 27-month grant from the National Eye Institute to study the use of portable spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) systems in researching, diagnosing, and treating eye diseases in premature and neonatal infants..

In conjunction with millions of children heading back to school, the new edition of the radio program ?Healthy Vision with Dr. Val Jones? features national experts discussing how early identification of vision problems and vision correction can affect children?s self esteem, confidence, and performance.

With the approach of the school year, Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has declared August as Children's Eye Health and Safety Awareness month, and is encouraging parents to ?make sure every child takes the test that may help them pass all the rest.?

Many children, returning to school this fall, will lack the tools that can help them perform at their optimal level: a professional eye exam and glasses, if necessary.

In an effort to assess and address the vision-related effects of the increased use of technology in learning environments, the American Optometric Association (AOA) has conducted a survey and released a report.

A $495,000 grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) will help researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center further research an eye drop that one day could be used to prevent diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Bausch + Lomb (B + L) is partnering with Mom Central Consulting (www.momcentralconsulting.com) to deliver tips to help mothers have basic ?daily talks? with their children about issues that may affect self-confidence, including the wearing of eyeglasses.

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has launched its Most Beautiful Eyes contest, offering children from across the United States the chance to become the face of the PBA Star Pupils program in 2012 and win a $25,000 scholarship.

A new episode of VSP Vision Care?s EyeFiles Webisode series highlights ways to protect children from computer vision syndrome (CVS) and offers tips on how to combat digital eyestrain.

Topical anesthesia strabismus surgery for adjustable sutures has advantages, but surgical techniques need to be modified and patients chosen carefully.

It's important to understand this simple phrase: Pediatrics is different.

Six hours of occlusive therapy and treatment with atropine can be beneficial to children with severe amblyopia.

An important advance for enhancing the ease and safety of pediatric cataract surgery is 1.8mm coaxial microincision cataract surgery using a particular phaco platform, according to one expert.