As Guest Editor of mivision’s paediatric issue, I am once again honoured to assemble a collection of varied but interconnected topics in paediatric eye care.
The general theme of vision impairment draws together the expertise of clinicians across all eye healthcare disciplines. They explore inherited retinal diseases and report on understanding the importance of genetic testing to support care and emerging treatments including gene therapies. How can we best help families navigate uncertainty without offering hope where realistically there is none?
We cover cortical vision impairment and describe fixation characteristics that you can implement in your clinical practice, as well as the nuances required for successful ocular assessment of neurodivergent children. We report on ocular morbidity related to nutritional deficiencies, particularly noticeable in children with autism spectrum disorder. This challenges us to consider adding ‘diet’ to our history taking and to become proactive in educating parents and children that ‘you really are what you eat’.
As a common cause of reversible vision impairment, an overview of strabismus and eye movement disorders is packaged as an excellent CPD activity.
Most importantly, across all these conditions that relate to vision impairment, one principle unites effective care: we must see the child, not merely the eye. A most moving piece, ‘Beyond the whirlwind of diagnosis: What parents wish you knew’ asks you, just for a moment, to consider the parental perspective of the child who is born blind, the child who is fighting to develop the best vision possible, and the child who lives with waiting for the darkness of blindness to descend.
Dr Sandra E Staffieri AO
Guest Editor
