Visual rehabilitation in children treated for retinopathy of prematurity in Villa Clara Province

Abstract

An intervention study was carried out at the Arnaldo Milian Castro Provincial Hospital in Villa Clara Province from November 2002 to December 2007. The study universe was formed by 11 children suffering from retinopathy of prematurity (stage III or more) who were treated with cryotheraphy or with laser therapy. The aim of the study was to show the importance of screening for the early detection of this condition, as well as its early treatment and the methods used for achieving the habilitation / rehabilitation of the affected premature children. This illness is one of the three major causes of visual disability worldwide. An individual form containing the data from each patient was filled out. It contained the different variables with the aim of identifying the treatments the patients underwent and assessing the most commonly found anatomical and functional sequelae, the refractive results of the skiascopies and the behaviour of visual stimulation. We corroborated that this retinopathy is related to the degree of prematurity (gestational age below 35 weeks and a body weight below 17000 gr.). We also noted that there were not significant differences concerning gender, and that the most common aggravating factors were mechanical ventilation (nine children) and perinatal causes (four cases of sepsis and four cases of respiratory distress). A cryotherapy treatment was implemented in 54.5 percent of the children and 45.5 percent received laser treatment. High degrees of myopia were predominant (62.5% of the eyes). All the children received an occlusive pleoptic treatment and the visual stimulation; correction lenses were indicated to 90 percent of them.