A study on refractive errors among school children in Kolkata.

Childhood visual impairment due to refractive errors is a significant problem in school children and has a considerable impact on public health. To assess the magnitude of the problem the present study was undertaken among the school children aged 5 to 10 years in Kolkata. Detailed ophthalmological examination was carried out in the schools as well as in the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Kolkata. Among 2317 students examined, 582 (25.11%) were suffering from refractive errors, myopia being the commonest (n = 325; 14.02%). Astigmatism affected 91 children (3.93%). There is an increase of prevalence of refractive errors with increase of age, but it is not statistically significant (p > 0.05). There is also no significant difference of refractive errors between boys and girls.

A case report of unifocal Langerhans' cell histiocytosis or eosinophilic granuloma.

A case of unifocal Langerhans' cell histiocytosis or eosinophilic granuloma in a child is reported where the frontal, zygomatic and maxillary bones of the left orbital wall are affected. As eosinophilic granuloma is a rare disease and the involvement of maxillary bone in orbital eosinophilic granuloma is not well documented in the literature, this case is reported for its unusual involvement of 3 bones at a single site. The diagnosis was established by clinical, radiological and histological findings. As no other system or site was involved and considering the osseous involvement of multiple bones at one site, local radiotherapy was preferred as the mode of treatment. The patient responded favourably to radiotherapy with reduction of proptosis and tumour mass but there was no visual recovery. In the absence of universal agreement over the mode of treatment, the result emphasises the probable benign nature of the tumour and the need to withhold more aggressive treatment modalities for extensive multisystem involvements.