Ocular morbidity and co-morbidities in children attending a nodal district early intervention center in Uttar Pradesh

PURPOSE: To obtain epidemiological data on children with ocular morbidity attending a nodal district early intervention center (DEIC). METHODS: After parental consent, we recruited children with ocular morbidity. After detailed history and clinical evaluation, along with pediatric consultation and relevant neuro-radiological and ancillary investigation, information was entered in a pretested proforma: especially looking for perinatal morbidity, including developmental delay (DD). Visual acuity (VA) was assessed by age-appropriate means by an ophthalmic assistant trained to work with children with special needs. We diligently looked for strabismus and performed dilated ophthalmoscopy. Using JASP, we summarized data as means and proportions and reported 95% CIs. We explored the association of disability percentage with possible predictor variables using regression. RESULTS: We enrolled 320 children, with a mean age of 34.43 ± 31.35 months; two-thirds were male; one-third belonged to lower socioeconomic status (36%), with most parents being illiterate. The mean presenting VA was 1.8 logMAR for both eyes, range: 0 to 3. Sixty-one percent were hyperopic and 27% were myopic. High refractive error, (>±6D) occurred in nine; anisometropia in one; strabismus in 149, mostly esotropia; congenital cataract in 25, whereas 63 had abnormal fundus. Seventy-six received a diagnosis of cerebral visual impairment (CVI). On multivariate linear regression (MLR), younger age, presence of DD, and CVI significantly predicted a higher disability percentage. Logistic regression revealed that statutory disability is likely associated with DD (odds ratio [OR]: 13.43); whereas older age was protective (OR: 0.977). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that in DEIC children with ocular morbidity, younger children, and the presence of DD significantly predict both greater disability and the likelihood of statutory levels.