This review was conducted to examine the existent literature and characterise the psychological impact of caregiving for children with various eye diseases. The factors associated with the burden of caregiving were discussed in the context of each eye disease identified. The review included 28 studies with meta-analysis of seven. Selected studies had 2052 caregivers; 1294 were female. The most common eye diseases were low vision / blindness (39%), congenital cataract (14%), glaucoma (14%), strabismus / amblyopia (11%), retinoblastoma (14%) and others. About 90% used a validated scale to assess burden. The remainder used customised questionnaires or interviews. Results indicated a significant degree of mild depression in caregivers of patients with retinoblastoma, primary congenital cataract and visual impairment. The reported financial burden relating to missed workdays and loss of employment opportunities and social isolation experienced by mothers was found to negatively affect the entire family. There was considerable heterogeneity among the included studies and therefore it was challenging to compare results across the different eye diseases.
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Burden of caregiving for children with eye diseases
Reviewed by Fiona Rowe
CONTRIBUTOR
Fiona Rowe (Prof)
Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, UK.
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