유아의 안과학적 실태조사 연구 = Research into the Incidence of Visual Impairment in Early Childhood

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study investigated the three key factors that may give rise to visual impairment. These factors were the effect of pre-existing eye conditions, preterm deliveries and the interrelationship with multiple disabilities.
The participants of the study were 84 infants aged 0-3 undergoing early intervention programs for the visually impaired. The data collected was between April 1994 and March 2001 and drawn from interviews with mothers of the participants. The results of the interview was independently reviewed by medical practitioners against their case studies for accuracy, comparison and corroboration.
The most prevalent causes of visual impairment out of the participants were retinopathy of prematurity, optic nerve hypoplasia and retinal dysplasia. Out of the participants, 21 infants showed the incidence with low vision (25%). Incidence of visual impairment in addition to other disabilities such as cerebal palsy, hearing impairment and seizures in the study was 11.9% which was 10 infants out of the 84 participants.
In conclusion, preterm deliveries particularly in 29-30 weeks can lead to eye conditions and low birthweight that is conducive to the development of multiple disabilities and visual impairment. Therefore research and development into managing preterm deliveries and low birthweight infants will be critical to minimizing the incidence of visual impairment in infancy.