Pediatrics

Group provides update on possible role of computer game rather than patching, eye drops

Microinstrumentation provides surgeons increased control

One pediatric ophthalmologist has spent 30 years educating the Louisiana community’s stakeholders about the importance of vision screening for young children.

Device is noninvasive, nonthreatening; does not require topical or general anesthesia

Level of evidence is decent, but may not be applicable to all racial, ethnic groups

Screening recipes should ease the diagnostic burden in this patient population

Video game helps youth with cerebral visual impairment

Regular vision screening assessments in early childhood have been shown to reduce the risk of persistent amblyopia at 7 years of age by more than half, according to a recent retrospective record review. 

Visual screenings and communication are the most important components when it comes to pediatric ophthalmology, says Dr. Silverstein. 

Pediatric herpes simplex virus should be part of the differential diagnosis when a patient has unilateral recurrent disease in the anterior segment.

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has designated September as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month.

Alex V. Levin, MD, chief of pediatric ophthalmology and ocular genetics at Wills Eye Institute, has received a grant from Prevent Blindness America.

Optic neuritis in juvenile neuromyelitis optica (NMO) Optic neuritis treatments vary greatly for NMO and MS

Bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) monotherapy for zone I retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) might have potential for treating pre-term infants who are in phase II of the pathogenesis of ROP.

Advances in ophthalmic surgery, especially vitreous suction-cutting devices, have made the treatment of congenital cataracts in the pediatric poulation easier and more effective.

Cerebral damage, not retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), may be the primary risk factor for visual impairment in preschool children who were born extremely prematurely, according to a Danish study published online in the Archives of Ophthalmology.

You might be reluctant to fit more children in contact lenses into your optical dispensary because you think it's difficult and time-consuming. However, the extra chair time is minimal, and the final rewards for the patient, the family, and you can be great, especially when contact lenses are medically necessary.

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.