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Published on: July 9, 2016
Development of smooth pursuit eye movements in very preterm infants: 1. General aspects
Katarina Strand-Brodd1, Uwe Ewald, Helena Grönqvist
1Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala university, Uppsala, Sweden. katarina.strand-brodd@kbh.uu.se
Insights
Very preterm infants show delayed early oculo-motor development, specifically in smooth pursuit eye movements, at 2 and 4 months corrected age. This delay may indicate future perceptual and behavioral issues.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Preterm birth impacts neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Oculo-motor skills are crucial for early sensory processing and cognitive development.
- Smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) are sensitive indicators of visual-motor integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess early oculo-motor development in very preterm infants.
- To evaluate smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) at 2 and 4 months corrected age.
- To compare SPEM between very preterm infants and healthy term infants.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, population-based cohort study.
- Eighty-one very preterm infants and 32 term infants were recruited.
- Smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) were measured at 2 and 4 months corrected age.
Main Results:
- Very preterm infants demonstrated significantly lower SPEM gain and proportion at both time points (p < 0.001).
- Boys exhibited higher SPEM gain than girls at 2 and 4 months corrected age.
- Mean gestational age of the preterm group was 28 ± 5 weeks.
Conclusions:
- Oculo-motor development, assessed by SPEM, is delayed in very preterm infants.
- This delay may serve as an early risk factor or indicator for later perceptual and behavioral impairments.
- Early identification of oculo-motor deficits can inform targeted interventions.
Aim:
To investigate early oculo-motor development in a population-based cohort of very preterm infants.
Methods:
Early oculo-motor development was prospectively studied by measuring smooth pursuit eye movements at 2 and 4 months corrected age in a population of very preterm infants born in Uppsala County 2004-2007. Eighty-one preterm infants were studied, and 32 healthy term infants constituted the control group.
Results:
The study group consisted of infants with a mean gestational age of 28 + 5 weeks. At 2 and 4 months corrected age, infants born very preterm showed lower gain (p < 0.001) and proportion of smooth pursuit eye movements (p < 0.001) compared to the control group. The boys showed higher gain of smooth pursuit eye movements at both 2 and 4 months corrected age, compared to girls.
Conclusions:
Oculo-motor development measured by smooth pursuit eye movements is delayed in very preterm infants at 2 and 4 months corrected age. This might be a risk factor or early indicator of later perceptual and behavioural impairment.
