OPHTHALMOLOGICAL SEQUELAE FOLLOWING POSTHEMORRHAGIC HYDROCEPHALUS

Twenty-six children with hydrocephalus secondary to intraventricular h aemorrhage (IVH), grade III and IV, were studied and compared to 22 ch ildren with hydrocephalus from other causes (non-IVH). In the IVH grou p, ophthalmic problems were seen in 21 children (80.8%). Strabismus wa s seen in 17 children (65.4%), optic atrophy in ten children (38.5%), refractive errors in ten children (38.5%), severe visual impairment in seven children (26.9%), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in nine eyes of five children (19.2%), optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) in four childr en (15.4%) and nystagmus in four children (15.4%). In the non-IVH grou p ophthalmic problems were encountered in 19 patients (86.4%). Strabis mus was seen in 15 children (68.2%), optic atrophy in only one child ( 4.5%), refractive errors in 12 children (54.5%), severe visual impairm ent in five children (22.7%), nystagmus in two children (9.1%) and ONH in four children (18.2%). This study demonstrates that in spite of si milar overall prevalence of ophthalmological complications in the two groups (p = 0.71, Fisher exact, 2-tailed value), there is a significan tly higher incidence of optic atrophy in the IVH group (p = 0.01, Yate s corrected Chi-square test).