Comparison of clinical findings in pediatric patients with albinism and different amplitudes of nystagmus.

INTRODUCTION

Visual acuity in albinism can vary and is difficult to predict. We undertook this study to investigate whether patients with albinism with absent or minimal nystagmus have better visual acuity and ocular alignment than patients with albinism and obvious nystagmus.

METHODS

Our retrospective chart review of 38 pediatric patients with albinism yielded 16 patients with absent or minimal nystagmus and 22 patients with obvious nystagmus.

RESULTS

Patients with albinism and absent or minimal nystagmus had best-corrected visual acuities ranging from 20/20 to 20/50, with a mean visual acuity of 20/33. Those patients with albinism and obvious nystagmus had best-corrected visual acuities ranging from 20/30 to 20/200, with a mean visual acuity of 20/80. Visual acuity was significantly better in the group with absent or minimal nystagmus (P < 0.001). Of the 16 patients with absent or minimal nystagmus, 6 were orthophoric and 10 had a strabismic deviation of 12 prism diopters (PD) or less. None of these patients required strabismus surgery. Of the 22 patients with nystagmus, 16 were orthophoric, 1 had a horizontal deviation of less than 12 PD, and 5 had larger angle horizontal deviations ranging from 20 to 50 PD.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that pediatric albinism patients with absent or minimal nystagmus can be expected to demonstrate better visual acuity and are less likely to show a strabismic deviation of greater than 12 PD compared with those with obvious nystagmus (P = 0.0003).