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Call for papers - Vision care and disorders in children

Guest Editors

Alistair Richard Fielder, MBBS, University of London, UK
Bharat Gurnani, MBBS, Gomabai Netralaya and Research Centre, India
Dipesh E Patel, PhD, University College London, UK

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 19 May 2025

BMC Pediatrics invites submissions to our new Collection, Vision care and disorders in children.

Childhood is a critical period for visual development. Vision disorders can not only hinder children’s ability to learn, but also adversely affect their physical and mental well-being, social engagement, and quality of life. Early clinical intervention and pediatric health services in visual care are crucial for addressing vision deficits in children and minimizing long-term complications.

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 4: Quality Education.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Alistair Richard Fielder, MBBS, University of London, UK

Alistair Fielder is Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology at the University of London, and is a retired pediatric ophthalmologist.  Professor Fielder's interest are the developing visual system, preterm birth and its effect on the visual system, visual development & measuring vision in children, the care of visually impaired children, pediatric ophthalmology (particularly neonatal problems & retinopathy of prematurity), amblyopia, and childhood vision impairment.  

Professor Fielder was elected Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Ophthalmologists in 2012 and received the Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2014. He was previously senior vice-president of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and vice chair of Vision 2020 UK. Currently, Professor Fielder serves as associate editor of the Journal of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus.
 

Bharat Gurnani, MBBS, Gomabai Netralaya and Research Centre, India

Dr Bharat Gurnani, is currently a Cataract, Cornea, Refractive Surgery, Trauma, External Diseases, and Ocular Surface consultant at Gomabai Netralaya and Research Centre. He has published over 350 papers and reviewed over 600 articles. Dr Gurnani is on the editorial board of 18 PubMed indexed journals. He works with a vision to take Young Ophthalmologists Society Of India (YOSI) and All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) to greater heights by regular contributions to the societies and helping juniors with educational activities. Dr Gurnani‘s key interests are dry eye, microbial keratitis, keratoconus, complex cataract surgeries, MSICS, Phacoemulsification, ectactic corneal diseases, lamellar, and refractive surgeries. 
 

Dipesh E Patel, PhD, University College London, UK

Dr Dipesh Patel is an Associate Professor of Orthoptics and NIHR Advanced Fellow at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology/GOS Institute of Child Health and Orthoptist Principal at Moorfields Eye Hospital. His previous research has informed the development of clinical guidelines for the assessment of visual fields in children with complex ophthalmic disorders, in both clinical and research settings. His current research investigates key issues about amblyopia (lazy eye) management, from generating evidence to support decisions about referral for treatment, to improving understanding of management choices.

Dr Patel is keen to support the development of clinicians and academics, and has thus served as a grant/internship reviewer for NIHR (HTA panel and Incubator Selection Committee) and GOSH (BRC research internships), and is the programme director for the UCL Orthoptics MSc (pre-registration).

About the Collection

BMC Pediatrics invites submissions to our new Collection, Vision care and disorders in children. Childhood is a critical period for visual development. Vision disorders can not only hinder children’s ability to learn, but also adversely affect their physical and mental well-being, social engagement, and quality of life. Early clinical intervention and pediatric health services in visual care are crucial for addressing vision deficits in children and minimizing long-term complications.

BMC Pediatrics is launching this collection, aiming to present the latest understanding on the causes and manifestation, detection and screening methods, treatment, and managing strategies of visual disorders in children. We welcome submissions of various types, including quantitative and qualitative studies, clinical trials, epidemiological research, case reports, and systematic reviews/meta-analysis. Potential topics of interest include (but are not limited to): 

  • New insights into the underlying mechanisms of pediatric vision deficits
  • Advances in screening techniques, innovative treatment options, and care models for pediatric vision disorders
  • Prevalence and epidemiology of vision disorders in children
  • Disparities in access to vision care services and proposed solutions
  • Impact of vision health on children’s development and quality of life

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 4: Quality Education

Image credit: © KONSTANTIN SHISHKIN / stock.adobe.com

  1. Preterm infants are at risk of complications due to their prematurity and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is one of them. To discover and treat ROP the preterm infants regularly undergo eye examinations. Nurs...

    Authors: Martina Carlsen Misic, Emma Olsson, Randi Dovland Andersen and Agneta Anderzén-Carlsson
    Citation: BMC Pediatrics 2024 24:579

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Vision care and disorders in children" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.