[Disturbances of the visual system in children caused by head injuries of different degrees of severity (author's transl)].

Sixty-six non-preselected children admitted to Düsseldorf University Clinic with head injuries were examined ophthalmologically (O) and neurologically (N) in the course of a preliminary study. The severity of the injury was classified according to Lange-Cosack the injury was classified according to a proposal of Lange-Cosack and Tepfer (I-VI). The following numbers of patients presented with symptoms: I: O + N = 6 (out of 24); N = 6 (24); O = (24) II: O + N = 4 (11); N = 4 (11); O = 1 (11) III: O + N = 6 (11); N = 2 (11); O = 1 (11) IV: O + N = 5 (5) V: O + N = 7 (7) VI: O + N = 8 (8) Nystagmus was observed in 13 cases, a pathologic response of the pupil in 11 cases, motility disturbances in 11 cases, convergence disorders in nine cases and injury of the orbit in six cases. The visual evoked cortical response (VEP) was pathologic in 23 patients while there were pathologic conditions at the fundus in eight cases and visual field defects in three. A disorder of the VEP was thus the most common finding in this study.