Association of Disability Quotient with Ocular and Systemic Manifestations in Children with Developmental Delay
Meenakshi Wadhwani, Sehzadi Malhotra, Dhulika Dhingra, Manika Manika, Shubhangi Kursange, Rahul Singh, Sneha Kumari, Amit KumarAim:
This study aims to study the various ocular and systemic manifestations in children with developmental delay (DD) and its association with development quotient.
Materials and Methods:
A total of 192 children between the age group of 1–5 years with DD were enrolled in the study at a pediatric care tertiary teaching hospital. All these children underwent detailed ocular and systemic examination along with psychometric development quotient calculation. Along with this, a detailed antenatal and postnatal history was also noted.
Results:
DD was more common in males and lower socioeconomic class. The most common ocular manifestations were refractive error (64.6%) followed by strabismus (34.4%), temporal disc pallor (16.6%), nystagmus (7.9%), optic atrophy (2.6%), congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (1.0%), and cataract (0.5%). Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (75%) was the most common systemic association followed by hearing and speech impairment (70.8%), cerebral palsy (53.1%), and seizure disorder (46.8%). Delayed cry at birth was found to have a significant association with lower Developmental Quotient (DQ) (
Conclusion:
The incidence of ocular co-morbidities in children with DD is high. Many of them are treatable. Among these, refractive errors are the most common cause of visual impairment followed by strabismus and optic atrophy. Early detection and intervention can help these children to restore useful vision and help in their rehabilitation.