Visual outcomes in idiopathic intracranial hypertension in children

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to report the clinical characteristics and long-term visual outcomes in a cohort of children with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Design Retrospective, observational cohort study. Participants Consecutive children who met the diagnostic criteria for definite IIH at a tertiary care pediatric hospital between 2009 and 2020. Methods The charts of pediatric patients with IIH were reviewed. The main outcome measure was long-term visual impairment, with an analysis of clinical features by age and risk factors for a poor visual outcome. Results There were 110 children (75 females) with IIH. At presentation, younger children with IIH were less likely to present with headaches (p = 0.01) and more likely to be asymptomatic (p = 0.03). There was a strong association with female sex (p  Conclusions In this large series of pediatric IIH, the long-term visual outcomes were favourable, with evidence of mild visual impairment in less than 10% of patients.