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Customized spectacles facilitate accurate measurement in assessment of childhood ptosis
Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011;27(2):111-113.
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Customized lightweight spectacles with a built-in millimeter scale enabled easy and accurate eyelid measurement in the assessment of childhood ptosis, a study found.
The authors designed the spectacles to be used in lieu of a millimeter ruler, the gold standard for measurement of eyelid position and function.
"The ease of use and acceptability of these spectacles have encouraged us to use them regularly in the assessment of childhood ptosis," the study authors said. "The spectacles may also be useful in the assessment of adult patients, particularly in the hands of less experienced clinicians. A further study would be required to assess this; none is planned at this time."
The study included 52 children between the ages of 2 and 12 years. Mean patient age was 5.5 years. Each child underwent two measurements of palpebral aperture, levator function and upper eyelid skin crease. The first set of measurements was taken with a conventional millimeter ruler and the second set with ptosis assessment spectacles.
A verbal rating scale was used to gauge parents' satisfaction with each measurement method. Satisfaction was rated on a scale of 1 to 10; a score of 1 denoted low satisfaction and a score of 10 signified high satisfaction.
Study results showed that mean differences in measurements taken with the millimeter ruler and ptosis spectacles were -0.12 mm for palpebral aperture, 0.06 mm for levator function and -0.02 mm for upper eyelid skin crease position. The differences were insignificant.
The mean satisfaction rating was 8.17 for spectacles and 5.87 for the ruler; the difference was statistically significant (P < .05), the authors reported.