Contrast sensitivity and aspects of binocular vision alteration in school-aged children after head injury.

Abstract

Aim: The research aimed to establish whether contrast sensitivity is a reliable method of evaluation in the case of school-aged children after head injury, and also to establish aspects of binocular vision alteration in the acute phase of TBI. Materials and methods: Forty-eight individuals with persisting visual symptoms after brain injury have been examined. Results: The rate of contrast sensitivity was determined to be 61%-100% in the research group in 56,3%-58,3% cases, compared to the control group, in which the prevalence was 93,7%-95,8% cases. Repeated evaluation during 4 months after the head trauma revealed an incidence of 83,3%-89,6% for the research group and 97,9% for the control group in the same 61%-100% interval. Binocular vision proved to be unchanged in 79,17% of patients, being determined as absent only in 4,16% of patients who later presented a secondary divergent strabismus. Conclusions: Contrast sensitivity is an easily performed method for the group of school-aged children after head injury. Although it is often considered by children an interesting game, its results should be taken into consideration while suspecting a traumatic optic neuropathy. Since most of the pediatric patients aged between 7-18 years, show a slight decrease of contrast sensitivity ability after head trauma, this examination should be performed as a part of ophthalmological evaluation in pediatric patients following head injury.