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Citation |
Kwok S, Ho P, Chan A, Gandhi S, Urn D. J. Intellect. Disabil. Res. 1996; 40(4): 330-335. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 1996, John Wiley and Sons) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
To assess the need for eye care in children and adolescents with severe mental deficiency, a cross‐sectional study of the prevalence and causes of ocular defects amongst these individuals was conducted. Two hundred and sixty residents in a mental handicap unit were examined from January 1992 to June 1993. It was found that there was an unusually high prevalence of severe visual impairment (25%), refractive errors (24%), squint (8%) and a number of organic ocular diseases (8%). All the patients studied were non‐verbal and 18% of them were deaf. Only 23 patients could walk. The results emphasize the need for establishing an efficient system to provide regular ophthalmic care for children with severe mental deficiency. |