Prevalence and Causes of Ocular Disorders and Visual Impairment Among Preterm Children in Ethiopia

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, causes of ocular disorders and visual impairment among preterm children previously admitted to neonatal intensive care units in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods And Analysis: A prospective screening survey was conducted from February to June 2019 at the paediatric eye clinic of Menelik II Hospital. Children who were preterm at birth and who attended the eye clinic were included in the study. Data on demographic and neonatal characteristics, neonatal and maternal comorbidities and ocular disorders were collected. OR and univariate analysis were used to identify predictors of ocular diseases and visual impairment.

Results: There were 222 children included in the study with a mean age at presentation of 2.62 years (range 2.08-6.38 years), mean gestational age 34.11 weeks (range 30-36) weeks and mean birth weight 1941.72 g (range 953-3500 g). Nearly two-thirds had ocular disorders with refractive error (51.8%), strabismus (11.3%) and a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (7.2%) being more common. One-fourth of the children had visual impairment, and the prevalence of amblyopia was 40.1%. Uncorrected refractive errors, strabismus and ROP were causes for visual impairment.

Conclusion: Visual impairment and amblyopia are common in Ethiopia. There is a need to develop a screening protocol for ocular disorders for preterm children to enhance early detection and prevention of childhood visual impairment.