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Published on: October 24, 2019
Visual function assessment in late-preterm newborns
Domenico M Romeo1, Daniela Ricci, Francesca Serrao
1Pediatric Neurology Unit, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
Insights
Visual functions in late preterm infants mature progressively between birth and term equivalent age. These findings highlight the critical developmental period for visual abilities in these infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- Late preterm infants (34.0–36.9 weeks gestation) represent a significant population.
- Understanding their visual development is crucial for early intervention.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the visual maturation trajectory in this specific group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the developmental trajectory of visual functions in low-risk late preterm infants.
- To compare visual development in late preterm infants with term-born infants.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 80 low-risk late preterm infants was studied.
- Visual assessments were conducted at birth and term equivalent age (TEA).
- A standardized visual assessment battery was employed, with comparisons to term-born infant data.
Main Results:
- Some visual functions showed similar performance at birth and TEA.
- Other functions, including tracking and discrimination, demonstrated significant maturation by TEA.
- Late preterm infants at TEA exhibited more mature visual attention and discrimination abilities than term-born infants at 48 hours.
Conclusions:
- Visual functions in late preterm infants undergo progressive maturation from birth to TEA.
- The period between birth and term equivalent age is critical for developing visual abilities.
- Late preterm infants may exhibit advanced visual skills in certain areas compared to their term-born peers.
Aim:
To describe the development of visual functions in a population of low-risk late preterm infants.
Subjects And Methods:
Eighty low-risk late preterm with a gestational age between 34.0 and 36.9 weeks were assessed at birth and at term equivalent age (TEA) using a structured visual assessment battery. The results were compared to those previously obtained in term born infants using the same battery.
Results:
For 5 items (spontaneous ocular motility, ocular motility with target, fixation, horizontal tracking and color tracking) the results were similar both at birth and TEA; for the other 4 (vertical and arc tracking, ability to discriminate striped black/white targets and attention at distance) visual findings at TEA were more mature than at birth. Comparing the responses in late preterm at TEA and term-born infants at 48 h of life, only 2 items (attention at distance, ability to discriminate black/white stripes) were different, with more mature findings in late preterm infants.
Conclusions:
Our results show that in late preterm some aspects of visual functions have a progressive maturation infants between birth and TEA, confirming that the time between birth and term age appears to be crucial for the development of these abilities.
