Study of Frequency and Nosology of Clinical Varieties of Retinal Dystrophies in Children and Adolescents

Background . Particular vigilance in timely detection of retinal dystrophies (RD) in children is necessary as effective measure to prevent formation of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Purpose . To study frequency and structure of clinical forms of RD in children of different age groups to find out most typical age of their primary formation, to assess the proportion of their prognostically hazardous forms. Materials and methods . Clinical material — 314 children aged 5 to 17 years, on average 11.0 ± 0.6 years, who applied with various ophthalmological pathologies in the Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology of the Khabarovsk Branch of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution in the period from July 2020 to April 2021. All children underwent biomicroscopy, ophthalmoscopy with in-depth examination of the state of the equatorial and periphery parts of the retina in condition of maximum cycloplegia. All 4 quadrants of the fundus were examined using binocular indirect ophthalmoscope with 20D lens. The presence and frequency of RD, their clinical varieties, according to the classification of E.O. Saksonova (1979), were ascertained in each of the studied age groups. Their localization, their length, and eye refraction were also assessed. Results . Presence of RD was revealed in 34 (11 %) children. In structure of identified clinical forms of RD, 11 children had its prognostically non-hazardous forms of RD, 23 children had prognostically hazardous forms (33 % and 67 % respectively). According to our data, the earliest age of detection of RD was 6 years. Further progression of RD was noted in 2 out of 6 children after restrictive photocoagulation of prognostically hazardous forms of RD. Conclusion . Formation of RD occurs not only at puberty, but also at an earlier age, according to our data, from 6 years of age. In view of this, it is necessary to conduct a thorough ophthalmoscopic examination of the periphery parts of the retina, even in young children.