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Biomedical subjects

G Woodruff

Publications and source records attributed to G Woodruff.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Occlusion for amblyopia: a comprehensive survey of outcome.

The results of a long term follow up of all patients from a single health district started on occlusion for amblyopia in 1983 are reported. Three hundred and sixty-eight patients started treatment, their average age was four years seven months, the average amount of daily occlusion was 1.5 hours and the average length of follow up was 31 months. 37% of cases achieved a final visual acuity of 6/9 or better and another 33% a visual acuity of 6/12 or 6/18.23% did not achieve 6/18 and treatment of these patients was regarded as failure. Data for the remainder (7%) were incomplete. The success rate of occlusion treatment varied little with the age of starting treatment. The group with combined strabismus and anisometropia responded least well to treatment.

Age Factors

The incidence and prevalence of amblyopia detected in childhood.

We present incidence estimates for amblyopia using data from a study of a cohort of 364 children from a single English county who were referred during 1983 for occlusion therapy. Using a criterion of a visual acuity of 6/12 or worse to define amblyopia, we estimate that 3.0% of the county's children develop the condition. Successful treatment of some of these children means that 1.9% will remain amblyopic as adults.

Adolescent

Daycase cataract surgery.

The increasing demand for cataract surgery, combined with limited resources, has created renewed interest in daycase admission. We have audited the results of all daycase and inpatient cataract surgery in a large unit over a six-month period to determine the factors influencing daycase admission and surgical outcome; 34% of cataract patients were admitted as daycases in the study period. Neither distance travelled by the patient nor age appear to influence daycase admission. However, the differing policies of the individual consultant surgeons resulted in a wide variation in the number of operations performed on a daycase basis by each firm. The rate of preoperative complications was unaffected by daycase admission, by the grade of surgeon operating, or by the type of anaesthetic employed. Only 2.1% of daycase admissions resulted in unplanned inpatient admission on the day of surgery, with another 2.1% being readmitted within six months of surgery. Late cancellation of surgery was much lower for daycases (0.4%) than for inpatients (5.1%).

Aged

Self-inflicted corneal injuries in children with congenital corneal anaesthesia.

Severe corneal ulceration related to self-inflicted injury in the presence of congenital corneal anaesthesia is described in four boys under 2 1/2 years of age. The ulcers had failed to heal until it was recognised that the children were scratching their own eyes. The application of arm splints allowed rapid healing. Although corneal ulceration is a recognised complication of congenital corneal anaesthesia, this preventable cause of the ulceration has not previously been recognised. In two cases there were isolated recurrences which healed quickly with the reapplication of splints. All four children had good vision initially, and, although there were no overt gross development abnormalities, two had neurological signs on detailed investigation suggesting cerebellar or brain stem malformation and one had unilateral anophthalmos, talipes equinovarus, and patent ductus arteriosus. All the children showed normal intellectual development. Whether the eye scratching behaviour was the primary cause of the ulceration or merely an aggravating factor, the identification of this abnormal behaviour is important in any child with idiopathic corneal ulceration, as even in the presence of congenital corneal anaesthesia the eyes heal quickly with effective splinting of the elbows. It is therefore important to test sensation of the cornea and face and to consider the possibility of self-inflicted injury in children with refractory corneal ulceration, as in our cases there were no other consistent diagnostic features.

Child, Preschool

Chimpanzee problem-solving: a test for comprehension.

An adult chimpanzee was shown videotaped scenes of a human actor struggling with one of eight problems and was then shown two photographs, one of which depicted an action or an object (or both) that could constitute a solution to the problem. On seven of the eight problems, the animal consistently chose the correct photograph. This test problem-solving comprehension permits the animal's knowledge about problem-solving--its ability to infer the nature of problems and to recognize potential solutions to them--to be examined.

Animals

Map reading by chimpanzees.

Infant chimpanzees, after watching a small black-and-white closed-circuit television picture of a familiar caretaker walking out into an outdoor field and disappearing from sight, were more successful in finding the person than if they had been given no such cue; and their performance approximated that which obtained after they had seen the same scene normally, via direct perception.

Animals