Abstract 884 Poster Session II, Sunday, 5/2 (poster 146)

Introduction

Retinoblastoma is the most common primary malignant ocular tumor of children, with 90% of cases diagnosed prior to five years of age. Visual impairment and blindness in children are often associated with delays in motor, language, and social development. However, many children with visual loss have had associated brain damage. Little is known about the impact of loss of eyesight or the impact of the treatments of retinoblastoma on children at an early age who are thought to be otherwise normal in brain development. The aim of the study was to examine the early development of children with retinoblastoma who are thought to have no other brain abnormalities.

Methods

We studied 50 children less than five years of age who were diagnosed with retinoblastoma in infancy. Sixty-five percent were from low income families; 45% were caucasian. Fifty percent of the children had unilateral retinoblastoma and 50% had bilateral retinoblastoma. All children received a physical examination, test of visual acuity, and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II, a standardized test of mental and motor abilities. A history of the disease and timing and types of treatments were recorded.

Results

Seventy-eight percent of the children were normal in mental and motor development. Eighty-five percent of the children were normal in physical growth. Thirty-five/38 children with unilateral vision had normal visual acuity. Of the ten children with developmental delays, 4 were found to have language delays, 5 were found to have motor delays, and 1 was found to be globally delayed. Many of the children showed some difficulty in visual-motor coordination, suggesting problems with depth perception; although this difficulty did not affect overall functioning.

Conclusion

Overall, children with retinoblastoma appear to be developing at an age appropriate level as compared with their peers without retinoblastoma, but are more at risk than their peers for problems with visual-motor and perceptual-motor coordination and with depth perception. These areas of deficit, however, do not appear to affect overall functioning.

Funded by The New York Community Trust and The Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation.