Could vision prognose cerebral palsy children’s development ?

Purpose: To investigate the role of vision as a prognostic factor of the general developmental process in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: 80 CP children (age range 24-96 months), participated in the study. Anamnestic data was collected, evaluation of Developmental Quotient (DQ), assessment of visual function (VFA-K test), Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were performed in all. VFA-K test assesses the visual function in a global way (sensory, oculomotor, eye body coordination). Results: 53 CP children (66.25%) appeared with affected visual function and reduced DQ. 75.55% of the CP children with moderate to severe PVL and 93.75% with combined brain damage, appeared with affected visual function. Statistical analysis showed a significant relationship between visual function, DQ and the severity of brain damage. (p<0,001) On the contrary, only 63.63% of the cases with affected visual function, appeared with abnormal flash VEPs. Conclusions: Since visual function shows a statistically significant relationship with the developmental quotient of these children, visual function could play a prognostic role in these children’s general development.