Somatic development of children with visual impairment

The effect of sensory organ diseases on physical growth is not an issue that is frequently discussed in auxology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical growth of children and youth suffering from sight deficiency or blindness in respect of the degree of disability, its etiology, and therapies applied in the course of treatment. The study involved 288 subjects (126 girls and 162 boys) aged 6 to 19 years, recruited from Centers for Blind and Partially Sighted Children in Wroclaw and Cracow (Poland). The material provided the following anthropological data: height and body weight, BMI, triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness. The subjects with deficient sight were shorter and lighter and had greater trunk adiposity than their normally sighted peers. The degree of disability differentiated adiposity – blind children were markedly more obese (p < 0.001) than partially sighted children. The weakest growth was observed in the subjects with deficient vision who had cranial surgery due to brain cancer or head injuries. These children were the shortest and most obese (p < 0.01). The results obtained in the present study indicate that while evaluating physical growth in children, one ought to consider both the cause of vision impairment and therapies applied during the treatment.