Search

Purpose There is no standardized approach for the ophthalmic care follow-up of children screened for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The authors report the ocular findings at 12 months in preterm and low birthweight babies screened for ROP over a 5-year period (1998–2003).Methods The case notes of 211 babies were retrospectively reviewed for birth details, maternal details, presence of ROP, and findings at follow-up screening which included visual acuity, refraction at 12 months, presence of squint, and any other ocular problems.Results At 1 year follow-up, 16.6% of ROP positive children failed a screening visit because of squint (6.66%), refractive error (6.66%), and optic nerve abnormalities (3.33%). At 1 year follow-up, 10% of ROP negative children had failed a screening visit because of squint (3.75 %), refractive error (3.75%), and other pathology (2.5%).Conclusions The authors recommend screening all babies with ROP at 12 months to identify amblyogenic factors such as squint and refractive error. Parents of infants who do not develop ROP should be advised of the increased risk of visual problems in their children and to have their child examined in the preschool period.

As many find such a difficulty in preserving entomological and other natural history specimens it may not be uninteresting to your readers to have a brief note on the use of Calabar Bean as a preservative. About eight years ago, when Aquilla Smith, M.D., Professor of Materia Medica, Trinity College, Dublin, was showing me through the museum that he has rendered so famous, I was struck by the perfect manner in which the specimens were preserved; the little brown beetle that is generally such a pest in similar collections being entirely absent. Dr. Smith told me that he treated the specimens with tincture of Calabar Bean, and very kindly gave me a bottle of the tincture. I used the tincture freely in my cabinet of Lepidoptera, and, although the collection has been wofully neglected since, it has remained quite free from mites. Dr. Smith tells me that the tincture was prepared by Mr. Squire of 277, Oxford Street, London, its strength being one part of the bean to eight of (rectified?) spirit. I might mention that Mr. Fetherstonhaugh used some of the tincture which I gave him in his cabinet, and was delighted with its action. A drop of the tincture is placed on the body of the insect. I found it a good plan to do this whilst the insect was on the drying board, as otherwise, in newly set insects, the damping with spirit caused the wings to spring.