London - The survival of more premature babies could be behind an increase in childhood blindness, scientists have revealed.
The earlier children are born, the greater their risk of suffering from vision impairment – with one in 20 severely premature babies likely to be born blind.
Research carried out by the charity Blind Children UK has now estimated that the number of babies developing sight difficulties as a result of being born prematurely has risen by 22 percent in the past decade.
And they found that there has been a 12 percent increase in the number of UK children under the age of five registered blind or partially sighted since 2006.
But a quarter of parents whose children had developed a vision impairment said that they had to wait longer than a year to have their child diagnosed.
The charity has now put together a list of symptoms to help parents of premature babies watch for early signs of sight loss, which can include a baby’s eyes being red, inflamed, itchy, watery, cloudy, puffy or swollen.
Another warning sign is if the centre of their eyes looks white in photographs, if they wobble or are constantly in motion. And parents should take children to see a doctor if they rub their eyes excessively, react with discomfort to bright light or look at things with an unusual head posture. - Daily Mail