EPOS

European Paediatric Ophthalmological Society

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03 Pediatric ophthalmology. An Eastern European perspective.

Prost, M.
Department of Ophthalmology, Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland

The number of the visually disabled children has increased in eastern European countries in the last 10 years. The main causes of pediatric blindness and visual impairment are: retinopathy of prematurity, optic atrophy and cataract. Less frequent causes are: high myopia congenital abnormalities, retinal dystrophies and glaucoma (mostly secondary). In some of this countries (Ukraine, Romania, some parts of Russia) infectious diseases still create big problem in everyday eye practice. There have been a great changes in the epidemiology of blindness in the recent 20 years. E.g. in Poland the percentage of visually disabled children caused by ROP has increased from 8,1% to 54,5% and caused by optic nerve atrophy from 15,5% to 27,27%. The prevalence of other causes has decreased in the same time.

In most of these countries obligatory eye screening systems of premature infants and treatment with laser or cryo is routinely performed. Although in some countries 90% of premature infants are diagnosed and treated at the proper time problem of ROP is increasing.

Treatment of cataract has improved in the last 10 years and in many children older than 2 years IOL implantation is performed.

Treatment of secondary glaucoma still posses great problem but introduction of cyclodiode and valve filtering systems has improved the prognosis in children with this disease.

Despite the progress in the medicine and ophthalmology the number of the visually impaired children is increasing although the causes of blindness are changing.