Evaluation of Visual Problems in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder

Purpose: To report the rate of visual impairment in pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study 62 children with PPD diagnosed by a children psychiatrist were included. All subjects were evaluated for age, sex, systemic & eye conditions such as refractive errors, strabismus, oculomotor disorders, color vision, stereopsis, visual contact and fixation pattern. Results: Overall, 68% of cases were male and 32% were female; age ranged from 5 to 15 years (mean age=8.4 year). Forty percent of case had no central fixation & 60% had inappropriate visual contact. 19.6% of cases had exotropia & 6.5% had esotropia.Cycloplegic refraction demonstrated hyperopia in 72% of cases (mean= +1.3D). Hyeropia ≥+ 1.5 was present in 50% of cases. The prevalence of astigmatism was 30% and 80% of them were with the rule. Conclusion: Ophthalmologic problems in PPD children appear to be mainly hyperopia, astigmatism and poor fixation. Strabismus (especially exotropia) also has a high prevalence among PPD children which can lead to amblyopia.Because of their limited communication; complete eye examination for early diagnosis should be recommended.