• Neda Striber, Katarina Vulin, Ivana Đaković, Iva Prvčić, Vlasta Đuranović, Branimir Cerovski, Sanja Pejić Roško, Dunja Čokolić Petrović, Sunčica Martinec, Barbara Dawidowsky, and Vlatka Mejaški Bošnjak.
• Neda Striber, Children's Hospital Zagreb, Klaiceva 16, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, striber.neda@gmail.com.
• Croat. Med. J. 2019 Oct 31; 60 (5): 414-420.

AimTo evaluate visual impairment (VI) in children with cerebral palsy (CP).MethodsThis population-based study included 419 children from the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe (SCPE) C28 RCP-HR - Register of Cerebral Palsy of Croatia born 2003-2008. Vision in children with CP (according to SCPE) was classified as normal or impaired, with the subcategory of severe VI. The proportion of children with VI was assessed in groups with different CP type/subtype, gross and fine motor function, and gestational age (GA).ResultsA total of 266 children had some degree of VI (266/400; 66.5%), 134 had normal vision, and data on VI were unknown for 19 children. Severe VI was present in 44 children (44/400; 11%). The proportion of children with VI and severe VI increased with the Gross Motor Function Classification System and Bimanual Fine Motor Function levels. Children with bilateral spastic CP had the highest frequency of severe VI (14.9%). The percentage of severe VI in children with bilateral spastic CP was 53.8% in the group born <28 weeks of GA, 13.3% in the group born 28-31 weeks of GA, 11.1% in the group born 32-36 weeks of GA, and 24.4% in the group born >36 weeks of GA (λ2=4.95; df=6; P<0.001).ConclusionChildren with CP have a high prevalence of VI and severe VI, which is increasing with the level of motor impairment. Severe VI is significantly more common in children with bilateral spastic CP, especially among extremely premature infants.

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