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VEP maturation and visual acuity in infants and preschool children
Eva Lenassi1, Katarina Likar, Branka Stirn-Kranjc
1Eye Clinic, University Medical Centre, Grabloviceva 46, Ljubljana, 1525, Slovenia.
Insights
Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) mature with age, correlating with visual acuity development in children. This study examined flash, reversal, and onset VEPs, finding significant links between VEP parameters and visual acuity maturation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Visual system development continues through childhood, impacting visual acuity.
- Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) are electrophysiological measures of visual pathway function.
- The correlation between VEP maturation and visual acuity development is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate VEP maturation to flash, pattern-reversal, and pattern-onset stimulation in infants and preschool children.
- To determine the relationship between VEP parameters and visual acuity development in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Forty-one healthy children aged 1.5 months to 7.5 years were studied.
- Visual acuity was assessed using Teller Acuity Cards and Cambridge Visual Acuity Crowding Cards.
- VEPs were recorded for flash, reversal, and onset stimulation with varying pattern sizes.
Main Results:
- Latencies for all VEP types showed age-dependent decreases.
- Amplitudes increased with age only for onset stimulation.
- Significant correlations were found between VEP latencies/amplitudes and visual acuity.
Conclusions:
- Flash, reversal, and onset VEPs demonstrate expected maturation in children.
- VEP maturation, particularly latency, is significantly correlated with visual acuity development.
Purpose:
Visual processes continue to mature well into childhood, due to the development of the retina, optic nerve, visual pathway and visual cortex. Normal development of visual acuity and maturation of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) have been well studied, although rarely for their correlation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the same population of infants and preschool children for their VEP maturation to flash, pattern-reversal (reversal) and pattern-onset (onset) stimulation, which are normally used in our everyday clinical protocol, and to determine the relationships between the VEP parameters obtained and the development of visual acuity.
Methods:
Forty-one healthy children from 1.5 months to 7.5 years old were included. Their visual acuity for distance was tested with Teller Acuity Cards (<2 years of age) and Cambridge Visual Acuity Crowding Cards (>2 years of age). VEP latencies and amplitudes were evaluated to flash (P2 wave), reversal (P100 wave) and onset (C1 wave) binocular stimulation. For reversal and onset stimulation, checkerboard pattern (check) sizes of 25', 50' and 100' were used.
Results:
Age-dependent exponential decreases in latencies to flash, reversal and onset stimulation were seen. For amplitudes, there was an age-dependent increase only to onset stimulation. There was a significant correlation between VEPs and visual acuity (P < 0.05) for latencies to flash, reversal and onset stimulation and amplitudes to onset stimulation.
Conclusion:
These findings indicate the expected maturation of flash, reversal and onset VEPs, and demonstrate their correlation to normal development of visual acuity. Maturation of VEP latencies is associated with development of visual acuity.
