Keynote Lectures and InvitedSpeakers

IS-06.1Early intervention of visual impairmentP AYDIN O‘DWYERPrivate Eye Clinic, Ankara, Turkey

Objective: It is very common to have visual problems in chil-

dren with brain damage. The objective of this presentation

is to demonstrate the importance and the value of early

intervention to the visual outcomes.

Methods: Three hundred and fifty children with viusal prob-

lems related to brain damage due to various etiologies have

been examined and treated with various methods. Wearing

hyperopic glasses and using visual stimulating toys and

materials were some of these methods.

Results: In 15% of children a vision has been gained, in

40% an improvement has been observed and in 45% no

improvement has been observed.

Conclusions: Only by early intervention an improvement can

be achieved as the visual cortex has plasticity at early ages

of life.

IS-06.3Visual field defects and compensatingmechanisms in children with brain damageL JACOBSONClinical Neuroscience, Section Eye & Vision, Karolinska Institutet,Stockholm, Sweden

Objective: Pre- and perinatal and later acquired brain dam-

age in children often affects visual function. The resulting

visual dysfunction is characterised by subnormal visual acu-

ity, crowding, visual field defects, cognitive visual impair-

ment and eye motility problems. This presentation will

focus on visual field defects and compensating mecha-

nisms.

Methods: Three studies will be presented: Visual field

function in preterm born children with periventricular

white matter damage and in children with unilateral

spastic cerebral palsy (cp). Visual field function has

been assessed with confrontation, with Goldmann peri-

metry and with computerized perimetry. Fixation and

eye motility was registered during perimetry in a few

teen-agers.

Results: In preterm born children with periventricular

white matter damage causing cerebral visual impairment

we found altitudinal lower visual field restriction, and

often concomitant dorsal stream dysfunction. Many of

the children with unilateral spastic cp had homony-

mous relative defects. Total homonymous hemianopia

was found in 20% of the children with unilateral cp.

Severely restricted visual fields were more often

associated with lesions occurring late in the developing

brain, such as MCA infarcts. Compensating mecha-

nisms such as plasticity, scanning and exotropia will be

discussed.

Conclusions: In children brain damage often affects the visual

system causing visual impairment including restriction of

the visual fields. All children with severely restricted visual

fields were identified by the confrontation technique.

Goldmann perimetry was a suitable method to identify rel-

ative visual field defects. Different mechanisms that com-

pensate the visual field defects may influence visual

outcome in everyday life.

ª 2012 The Authors ª 2012 Mac Keith Press Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 2012, 54 (Suppl. 3), 22 doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2012.04296.x

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY