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Aim: To report on a new model of preschool vision screening that was performed in metropolitan Seoul and to investigate the distribution of various ocular disorders in this metropolitan preschool population., Methods: Vision screening was conducted on 36 973 kindergarten children aged 3-5 years in a stepwise manner. The first step was home screening using a set of five picture cards and a questionnaire. The children who did not pass the first step (VA <0.5 in at least one eye or any abnormal responses on the questionnaire) were retested with regular vision charts at the regional public healthcare centres. After this retest, some children were referred to ophthalmologists. The referral criteria for visual acuity were <0.5 at 3 years and <0.63 at 4 or 5 years in at least one eye., Results: Of those screened, 7116 (19.2%) children did not pass the home screening tests and 2058 (28.9%) out of the 7116 were referred. The results of the ophthalmological examination in eye clinics were only available for 894 children (43.4%) of those who were referred. The rest of the children did not visit ophthalmologists because they had been checked at an eye clinic, were currently under treatment, or for personal reasons. Refractive errors were found in 608 (1.6%) children. Astigmatism was associated in 78.2% of ametropes. Amblyopia was discovered in 149 (0.4%) children and refractive error was the major aetiology with a predominant rate (82.5%). Manifest strabismus was detected in 52 children. The positive predictive value of vision screening for any ophthalmological disorder was 0.77, and 0.49 for significant disorders requiring treatment., Conclusions: This preschool vision screening model was highly accessible to the children and their parents, easy to administer, and effective to detect a variety of ocular disorders. However, the participation rate of the referred children in the examinations by ophthalmologists was quite low. The performance and efficiency of this screening programme need to be optimised with further revision.

Aims/purpose: To identify the characteristic ocular findings in Asian children with Down syndrome., Methods: A total of 123 Korean children with Down's syndrome between 6 months and 14 years of age were examined for ocular findings from March 1999 to April 2000. Ocular examinations including visual acuity assessment, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, ocular motility, cycloplegic refraction, and ophthalmoscopy were performed., Results: The ocular findings in decreasing prevalence were the following: upward slanting of the palpebral fissure (78 patients, 63%), epicanthus (75 patients, 61%), epiblepharon (66 patients, 54%), astigmatism (38 patients, 31%), hyperopia (35 patients, 28%), myopia (31 patients, 25%), strabismus (31 patients, 25%, 18 esotropia and 13 exotropia), nystagmus (27 patients, 22%), nasolacrimal duct obstruction (21 patients, 17%), blepharoconjunctivitis (20 patients, 16%), retinal abnormalities (18 patients, 15%), cataract (four patients, 13%), and glaucoma (one patient, 0.8%). Brushfield spots and keratoconus were not found., Conclusions: Asian children with Down syndrome demonstrate unreported, high incidence of epiblepharon, the high rate of exotropia, and essentially no notable Brushfield spots, which are in contrast to the ocular findings in Caucasian patients with Down syndrome.

Aims: To develop an intraoperative, extraocular lndocyanine Green dye staining test (lE-ICG) for the differentiation of a peeled ILM from a thin epiretinal membrane, and to evaluate its efficacy. Methods: This was a consecutive observational case and laboratory observational series. We performed ILM peeling in patients with an idiopathic macular hole (MH, n = 10) and diabetic macular oedema (DME, n = 10) without vital dye staining such as ICG or Trypan Blue. We also performed membrane peeling in patients with an idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM, n = 10). Then, the peeled membranes were stained with ICG (1.25 mg/mI) beyond the operation field and examined under a light microscope. After this examination, membranes were fixed with glutaraldehyde, and an electron microscope was used to confirm whether they were ILMs or thin ERM. The concordance rates between surgeon's intraoperative impression of membranes (SI), IE-ICG results (IT) and histological findings (HF) of peeled membranes were evaluated to reveal the efficacy of IE-ICG. Results: The ILMs were homogenously stained with ICG dye (posivite IE-ICG), and the ERMs were not stained at all by ICG dye (negative IE-ICG). The concordance rate between IT and HF was 100% in all three groups of patients. However, concordance rates between SI and IT were 100% in MH, 80% in DME and 50% in ERM, respectively. The surgeon's impression of the membrane is inaccurate, especially in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane. Conclusion: Considering the cost, difficulties of tissue preparation, and the time-consuming process of histological confirmation of an ILM, IE-ICG may be a useful alternative for the differentiation of a peeled ILM and a thin ERM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To report on a new model of preschool vision screening that was performed in metropolitan Seoul and to investigate the distribution of various ocular disorders in this metropolitan preschool population. Methods: Vision screening was conducted on 36 973 kindergarten children aged 3-5 years in a stepwise manner. The first step was home screening using a set of five picture cards and a questionnaire. The children who did not pass the first step (VA <0.5 in at least one eye or any abnormal responses on the questionnaire) were retested with regular vision charts at the regional public healthcare centres. After this retest, some children were referred to ophthalmologists. The referral criteria for visual acuity were <0.5 at 3 years and <0.63 at 4 or 5 years in at least one eye. Results: Of those screened, 7116 (19.2%) children did not pass the home screening tests and 2058 (28.9%) out of the 7116 were referred. The results of the ophthalmological examination in eye clinics were only available for 894 children (43.4%) of those who were referred. The rest of the children did not visit ophthalmologists because they had been checked at an eye clink, were currently under treatment, or for personal reasons. Refractive errors were found in 608 (1.6%) children. Astigmatism was associated in 78.2% of ametropes. Amblyopia was discovered in 149 (0.4%) children and refractive error was the major aetiology with a predominant rate (82.5%). Manifest strabismus was detected in 52 children. The positive predictive value of vision screening for any ophthalmological disorder was 0.77, and 0.49 for significant disorders requiring treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]