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Abstract

Background: Autism is a condition in which abnormal development of the brain takes place, manifesting in the first three years of life. Visual impairment is one of the major factors of autistic disorder and measurement of visual impairment in autism disorder is necessary for more explanation of the problem. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of visual impairment in autistic children at autism schools in Lahore. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done at autism schools in Lahore. A convenient and purposive sampling technique was used for the data collection procedure. Written informed consent of teachers/guidance autistic children was taken. Children who were less than 18 years were included. Children have other diseases like cerebral palsy, serious cognitive disability were excluded from this study. Participant鈥檚 undergone ocular assessment that includes visual acuity, ocular motility examination, refraction, and fundoscopy. Results: A total of 127 participants were included in this study, of which 77(60.6%) were male and 50(39.4%) were female. 84(66.1%) were emmetropes (having no refractive errors), 19(15%) were having myopes, 15(11.8%) were hypermetropic and 9(7.1%) were Astigmatic, while 20 were diagnosed with a squint. The major cause of visual impairment in autistic children was Refractive errors 33.8% and squint 15.7%. Conclusion: A high frequency of visual impairment was present in autistic children in Lahore autistic schools. As vision is a basic right so we have to pay attention also towards autistic children, in that way every child should have screened for factors that are responsible for visual impairments, identifying refractive errors in these children early and providing appropriate corrective lenses may help optimize their visual functioning and impact their activities of daily life positively.

Biography

Nida Amin works at Department of Optometry, The Green International University Lahore, Bhobtian chowk Rawind road, Lahore, Pakistan.