The number of blind children increased by 9% in the UK between 2006 and 2013 as more babies are born prematurely.
The number of premature babies continues to increase. As a result, more and more children are going blind. This is what a British study by Charity Blind Children shows. Between 2006 and 2013, researchers found a 9% increase in blindness in children and 12% in children under 5. For example, the number of blind children in the UK has fallen from almost 11,000 to 12,000 in seven years. And this increase occurs in children who are born prematurely, before 25 weeks.
Currently, more than half of these babies survive, while in 1995, only 40% were saved. And the more babies are born prematurely, the greater the risk of going blind. Moreover, 5% of severely premature babies are born blind. In France, prematurity has increased by nearly 15% in 15 years. And there is no reason why the same causes should not produce the same effects.
Spotting early signs of blindness
According to the authors of the study, these results show the importance of informing parents. They should be able to recognize early signs of vision loss, such as red, inflamed, itchy eyes, glassy, swollen, or constantly moving eyes.
Other signs that can alert, if the child rubs his eyes very often, if he is dazzled by the light or if he adopts an unusual posture of the head when staring at an object. Finally, you have to worry if the eye returns a white glow in the photos. It is also thanks to this last sign that a disease could be detected in a girl whose parents had posted a photo on Facebook. Friends had alerted parents to this unusual outburst, who then consulted a specialist. Moreover, in view of the results of this British study, regular ophthalmological monitoring of children born prematurely therefore seems necessary.
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