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Reduced grating acuity associated with retinal toxicity in children with infantile spasms on vigabatrin therapy

Sivan Durbin1, Giuseppe Mirabella, J Raymond Buncic

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
|March 13, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children with infantile spasms exposed to vigabatrin (VGB) may experience reduced visual function due to retinal toxicity. Sweep visual evoked potential (VEP) testing can detect these vision changes.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Pediatric Neurology

Background:

  • Infantile spasms (IS) are a severe epilepsy syndrome in infants.
  • Vigabatrin (VGB) is a common treatment for IS but can cause retinal toxicity.
  • The impact of VGB-related retinal toxicity on visual function in children with IS requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess visual function in children with infantile spasms.
  • To determine if vigabatrin-attributed retinal toxicity affects visual functions in these children.

Main Methods:

  • Sweep visual evoked potential (VEP) testing was used to measure contrast sensitivity and grating acuity in 42 children with IS.
  • Children had a minimum 1-month exposure to vigabatrin (VGB).
  • Participants were categorized into groups with or without retinal toxicity based on electroretinogram findings; multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed for comparison.

Main Results:

  • Vigabatrin (VGB) retinal toxicity significantly impacted visual function in children with infantile spasms.
  • Grating acuity was notably reduced in children with VGB-related retinal toxicity.
  • No significant differences in contrast sensitivity were observed between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • Sweep VEP testing is effective in detecting reduced visual functions associated with vigabatrin-attributed retinal toxicity in children with infantile spasms.
  • Early detection of visual impairment is crucial for managing children with infantile spasms treated with vigabatrin.
Abstract

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