Associations between red reflex abnormality, consanguinity and intensive care hospitalization of newborns in Turkey

Background: Red reflex screening is the primary but unheeded test for the detection of vision- and life-threatening eye conditions.

Aims: To evaluate the red reflex of newborns, percentage of ocular diseases resulting in red reflex abnormality, and their relation with consanguinity in Southeast Turkey.

Methods: Newborns [n = 1358] were examined with pencil light and direct ophthalmoscopy.

Results: Eight hundred of these newborns were hospitalized in a rooming-in unit. [RIU] and 558 were in the neonatal intensive care service [NICS]. In the RIU there were 7 [0.88%] newborns with abnormal red reflex and in the NICS there were 14 [2.51%]. Sensitivity of pencil light examination was 71.4%. Studies from the Middle East have shown potential recessive genetic causes of common paediatric ocular conditions. In our study, consanguineous marriage was found to have a significant association with red reflex abnormality [P = 0.017].

Conclusions: Red reflex screening test is important in the early diagnosis of vision- and life-threatening eye disorders in Southeast Turkey where consanguinity is common

Bilateral Optic Disc Drusen Mimicking Papilledema

BACKGROUND: Optic disc drusen, which are calcified deposits that form anterior to the lamina cribrosa in the optic nerve, may mimic papilledema. CASE REPORT: We report herein three cases referred to us with suspicion of disc swelling and papilledema. Following ophthalmologic evaluation with B-scan ultrasound, red-free fundus photography, and computed tomography, the diagnosis of papilledema was excluded in all cases and optic disc drusen was diagnosed. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical suspicion of optic disc drusen in cases presenting with swelling of the optic nerve head is important in order to avoid unnecessary interventions and anxiety. The reported cases highlight the commonly encountered clinical presentations and the practical aspects of diagnosis and management of optic disc drusen.