Screening program timing imperative for children with Down syndrome

CARDIFF, Wales — Refractive errors in children with Down syndrome are not always present in early infancy, indicating a need for better timing of screening programs, according to a cohort study. In addition, these children are at risk for strabismus, regardless of their refractive error, the study authors concluded.

Mary Cregg and colleagues here at Cardiff University analyzed data on 55 children with Down syndrome who were first examined before 2 years of age and on at least two other occasions. Refractive errors were not always present in these children during early infancy.

Of the 55 children, 21 were emmetropic throughout the study. Of the 24 children with a significant refractive error at baseline, only six showed emmetropization; the remainder retained or increased their refractive errors. Children with Down syndrome tended to have a high rate of strabismus as well. The high rate could not be attributed to the presence of hypermetropia or anisometropia.

The study is published in the March issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.