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. 2023 Nov 14;13(11):1608.
doi: 10.3390/jpm13111608.

Visual Impairment and Low Vision Aids-A Comparison between Children and Adults

Madeleine A Perrault  1 , Gabriele Lauer  2 , Sabine Voss  2 , Berthold Seitz  2 , Barbara Käsmann-Kellner  2
Affiliations

Visual Impairment and Low Vision Aids-A Comparison between Children and Adults

Madeleine A Perrault et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

(1) Background: This study aims to highlight differences in the etiology and fitting of low vision aids in visually impaired children and adolescents in comparison to adults. (2) Methods: A retrospective data collection from visually impaired patients presenting to obtain assistive devices from 1 January 2016 to 30 April 2020 was conducted. A total of 502 patients were included. Inclusion criteria were a minimum age of 4 years and the chart notation of a best-corrected distance visual acuity in the patient record prior to the fitting of magnifying visual aids. (3) Results: Of the 502 patients, 147 (29.3%) were children under the age of 18 years. The most common cause of visual impairment in children was albinism, and in adults, it was age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Children showed better distance visual acuity, with a median of 0.88 logMAR (Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution) compared to 1.0 in adults (p = 0.001). Near visual acuity was also significantly better, with a median of 0.54 logMAR in children compared to 0.9 in adults (p < 0.001). Near and distance visual acuity were significantly improved by fitting magnifying visual aids (p < 0.001). After fitting, near visual acuity averaged 0.3 logMAR, and distance visual acuity, 0.7. The most commonly prescribed aids were optical vision aids, which 68.5% of the patients received; 43.8% received electronic aids. In children, optical aids were more frequently prescribed, and in adults, electronic and acoustic aids (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusion: Visually impaired patients can regain the ability to read and improve distance vision by using individually adapted and tested magnifying vision aids, often with optical aids alone. Differences between children and adults could be discovered in the etiology and severity of visual impairment, as well as in the provision type of low vision aids.

Keywords: blindness; low vision; rehabilitation; visual aids; visual impairment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Outline of the parameters recorded in the database.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of the different main diagnoses in children (under 18 years) compared to adults (abbreviations in this diagram: O.N. = optic nerve; VA = visual acuity).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of the statement “reading subjectively possible” or “reading subjectively no longer possible” in % within the respective age groups.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Distribution of the different groups of visual aids in reference to all prescribed aids (n = 999).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Distribution of the different fitted aids in children and adults in percent format.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Visual acuity in logMAR (Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution) for children and adults before and after fitting of visual aids.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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