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Grating acuity and visual field development of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia
B Luna1, V Dobson, R D Guthrie
1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Insights
Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) showed normal visual acuity. However, their visual fields were smaller at 11 months, but normalized later, indicating typical visual development in early childhood.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease in preterm infants.
- Ocular and neurological complications are common in infants with BPD.
- Previous research indicates potential visual impairments in BPD survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess grating acuity and visual fields in infants with BPD.
- To compare visual development in BPD infants with healthy preterm and hyaline membrane disease (HMD) groups.
- To determine if BPD without major complications affects long-term visual function.
Main Methods:
- Assessed grating acuity and visual fields in 48 infants with BPD (no major neurological or ocular comorbidities).
- Tested infants at 4, 8, 11, 17, and 24 months corrected age.
- Compared results with 81 healthy preterm infants and 54 infants with HMD without BPD.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in grating acuity development between the BPD group and control groups.
- Infants with BPD had significantly smaller visual fields at 11 months compared to controls.
- Visual field development became similar across all groups by other tested ages.
Conclusions:
- Infants with BPD and without significant ocular or neurological complications exhibit normal grating acuity development.
- Visual field development in BPD infants is largely normal within the first two years, despite a temporary constriction at 11 months.
- These findings suggest favorable visual outcomes for BPD infants without major comorbidities.
Abstract:
The grating acuity and visual fields were assessed of 48 infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) who had no periventricular leukomalacia or grade III or IV intraventricular hemorrhage, and no stage 3 or greater retinopathy of prematurity. Infants were tested at four, eight, 11, 17 and 24 months corrected age, and their results were compared with those of 81 healthy preterm infants and 54 with hyaline membrane disease (HMD) that did not result in BPD. The BPD group showed no significant difference in acuity development compared with the healthy preterm and HMD groups. Infants with BPD had significantly smaller visual fields than either control group at 11 months; visual field development was similar for all groups at all other test ages. The authors conclude that infants with BPD who have no significant ocular or neurological complications show normal grating acuity and visual field development during the first two years of life.