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Assessment of vision and hearing in children conceived spontaneously and by ICSI: a prospective controlled,
A K Ludwig1, A Hansen, A Katalinic
1Zentrum für Hormon- und Stoffwechselerkrankungen, Reproduktionsmedizin und Pränatale Medizin, Endokrinologikum Hamburg, Lornsenstr 4-6, 22767 Hamburg, Germany. A.K.Ludwig@web.de
Insights
Children born via intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI) show no significant differences in vision or hearing compared to spontaneously conceived children. However, parental awareness of hearing impairments identified through screening remains low in both groups.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Reproductive Medicine
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Long-term health monitoring of children conceived via assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is crucial.
- Vision and hearing are vital senses that develop throughout childhood.
- Limited data exists on the visual and auditory health of preschool-aged children born after assisted conception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively evaluate the vision and hearing development in preschool children born after intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI).
- To compare the incidence of vision and hearing impairments between ICSI-conceived children and spontaneously conceived controls.
- To assess parental awareness of hearing problems identified during screening.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, controlled, blinded follow-up study involving 276 singleton ICSI children and 273 spontaneously conceived controls.
- Participants were assessed at a mean age of 5.5 years with detailed vision and hearing tests.
- Clinical examinations of eyes and ears were performed.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in vision or hearing impairments were found between the ICSI and control groups.
- Children with abnormal otoscopy findings were more likely to have abnormal hearing test results.
- Parental awareness of diagnosed hearing problems was low (8.5% for ICSI, 25.4% for controls).
Conclusions:
- Intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI) does not appear to impact the development of hearing and vision in children compared to spontaneous conception.
- Routine screening identifies hearing problems, but parental awareness is notably low.
- Parental interviews alone are insufficient for assessing vision and hearing in follow-up studies of ART-conceived children.
Abstract:
Long-term follow-up studies on the health of children born after assisted reproduction technologies are mandatory. Vision and hearing are the most important senses that continue to develop during childhood. There are few reports on vision and hearing in preschool children born after assisted conception. This prospective controlled blinded follow-up study examined 276 term-born singleton intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI) children and 273 spontaneously conceived controls at a mean age of 5.5 years and performed detailed vision and hearing test and clinically examined eyes and ears. There was no significant difference between ICSI and control children regarding the occurrence of vision or hearing impairments. Unsurprisingly, children with abnormalities in otoscopy were more likely to have an abnormal hearing test compared with children without abnormalities. Only 8.5% of ICSI parents and 25.4% of control parents whose children showed an abnormal hearing test knew about the hearing problems of their child. In conclusion, there was no difference in the development of hearing and vision in ICSI children and spontaneously conceived controls. But only few parents knew about hearing problems of their child after undergoing routine screening examinations. Parental interviews would therefore not be sufficient in order to assess vision and hearing in follow-up studies.
