Purpose: To identify through focus groups of visually impaired children and their parents, relevant content for a vision-targeted health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire designed for children aged 6 to 12 years.
Methods: Six focus groups of children with vision impairment aged 6 to 12 years and six focus groups of their parents were conducted by trained facilitators using a guided script. Sessions were recorded, transcribed, and coded as per a standardized protocol for content analysis. Comments were placed in thematic categories and each was coded as positive, negative, or neutral.
Results: Twenty-four children (mean age: 9.4 years) with vision impairment from a variety of causes and 23 parents participated in the study. The child focus groups generated 1,163 comments, of which 52% (n = 599) were negative, 12% (n = 138) were neutral, and 37% (n = 426) were positive. The three most common topical areas among children were: glasses and adaptive equipment (18%), psychosocial (14%), and school (14%). The parent focus groups generated 1952 comments of which 46% (n = 895) were negative, 16% (n = 323) were neutral, and 38% (n = 734) were positive. The three most common topical areas among parents were: school (21%), expectations or frustrations (14%), and psychosocial (13%).
Conclusions: Pediatric vision impairment has significant effects on HRQoL, as reported by children with vision impairment and their parents in their own words. These findings will provide the content to guide construction of a survey instrument to assess vision-specific, HRQoL in children with vision impairment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/OPX.0b013e318264f1dc | DOI Listing |
Viruses
December 2024
Department of Research, Altino Ventura Foundation (FAV), Recife 50070-040, Brazil.
Deformities, body asymmetries, and muscle contractures are common consequences of atypical postural patterns in children with c ongenital Zika syndrome (CZS). This study aimed to evaluate the posture of children with CZS, considering their neurological and visual impairments. Ophthalmological assessment included binocular best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) using Teller Acuity Cards II (TAC II) and an ocular motility evaluation.
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December 2024
Department of Industrial Design, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Research into new solutions for wearable assistive devices for the visually impaired is an important area of assistive technology (AT). This plays a crucial role in improving the functionality and independence of the visually impaired, helping them to participate fully in their daily lives and in various community activities. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of the literature published over the last decade on wearable assistive devices for the visually impaired, retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) using CiteSpace, to provide an overview of the current state of research, trends, and hotspots in the field.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells
December 2024
Program in Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30907, USA.
Diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of vision loss, is characterized by neurovascular changes in the retina. The lack of effective treatments to preserve vision in diabetic patients remains a significant challenge. A previous study from our laboratory demonstrated that 12-week treatment with MDL 72527, a pharmacological inhibitor of spermine oxidase (SMOX, a critical regulator of polyamine metabolism), reduced neurodegeneration in diabetic mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells
December 2024
Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision, and Brain Health), Institute of Mental Health and Drug Discovery, School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Ouhai District, Wenzhou 325000, China.
Background: glucocorticoids may play an important role in the formation of fear memory, which is relevant to the neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In our previous study, we showed the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) forms a protein complex with FKBP51, which prevents translocation of GR into the nucleus to affect gene expression; this complex is elevated in PTSD patients and by fear-conditioned learning in mice, and disrupting this complex blocks the storage and retrieval of fear-conditioned memories. The timing of release of glucocorticoid relative to the formation of a traumatic memory could be important in this process, and remains poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
December 2024
Department of Ophthalmology, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast BT12 6BA, UK.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges for all and especially for people with a visual impairment. As a result, many healthcare services had to close or be reduced, and new rules and regulations were implemented. These rules, regulations and testing procedures were challenging for many people with a visual impairment.
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