Changes in causes of low vision between 1988 and 2009 in a Dutch population of children.

Purpose: Causes of low vision in the Netherlands may have changed over time. The purpose of this study is to assess trends over the last two decades.

Methods: Socio-demographic and medical data, including ophthalmic diagnosis and inheritance patterns for 2843 children with low vision (0-21 years; 50% representation) referred to a Dutch institute for low vision (Bartiméus) over a 21-year period between 1988 and 2009, were included in the analysis.

[Determining factors for deciding whether or not to treat refractive errors and cataract in people with a learning disability].

Objective: A study into the treatment of refractive errors and cataract in a selected population with learning disabilities. Design. Retrospective.

6,220 institutionalised people with intellectual disability referred for visual assessment between 1993 and 2003: overview and trends.

Aims: To summarise the results of visual performance tests and other data of institutionalised people with intellectual disability referred to a visual advisory centre (VAC) between 1993 and 2003, and to determine trends in these data.

Methods: A retrospective medical record review was undertaken of 6,220 consecutive people examined ophthalmologically according to a standard protocol by one VAC that specialised in visual assessment and treatment of people with intellectual disability, between 1993 and 2003. chi2 test for linear trend was used and linear regression coefficients were calculated.

New mutations in the NHS gene in Nance-Horan Syndrome families from the Netherlands.

Mutations in the NHS gene cause Nance-Horan Syndrome (NHS), a rare X-chromosomal recessive disorder with variable features, including congenital cataract, microphthalmia, a peculiar form of the ear and dental anomalies. We investigated the NHS gene in four additional families with NHS from the Netherlands, by dHPLC and direct sequencing. We identified an unique mutation in each family.

Retinal arterial changes correlate with cerebral small-vessel disease.

Objective: To examine the relation between retinal artery disease and cerebral small-vessel disease (SVD).

Methods: In a prospective cohort of patients with symptomatic atherosclerotic disease, the authors performed retinal photographs and brain MRI. Two ophthalmologists, not aware of the MR results, independently assessed retinal arterial narrowing, crossings, sclerosis, and tortuosity according to standard scoring lists.