ABSTRACT
Objective To study the clinical features of visual dysfunction in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and related factors. Methods Between 2006 and 2009, one hundred and sixty-three children (aged 4 to 108months, mean age 29.05 ± 20.51 months) with CP at Qingdao's Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children were enrolled into this study, including 117 boys and 46 girls. All the children were retrospectively reviewed for perinatal risk factors. Ophthalmologists examined their visual parameters, including refraction, visual acuity, eye position and movement, and fundoscopy. Results Among the 163 children, 61 had visual dysfunctions, an occurrence rate of 37.4%. They included refractive errors in 39 (23.9%) , strabismus in 50 (30.7%) , abnormal eye movement in 26(15.9%) , and abnormal fundoscopic findings in 13 (7.9%). Thirty-seven children's visual acuity was examined,and 19 of them (51.4%) had low visual acuity. Patients who showed periventicular leukomalacia (PVL) or lesions in the occipital lobe on MRI examination had a high incidence of visual dysfunction. Preterm and low birth-weight were risk factors for visual dysfunction in these CP children. Conclusions Visual dysfuntion is a common complication in CP children. Early ophthalmological assessment and intervention are important for CP children.