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Visual function in preterm infants without major retinopathy of prematurity or neurological complications

Nicolaos Kozeis1, Maria Mavromichali, Vasiliki Soubasi-Griva

  • 1Pediatric Eye Department of Hippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.

American Journal of Perinatology
|July 10, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Preterm infants show more visual function impairments, especially refractive errors, compared to full-term infants. Early visual stimulation does not guarantee visual maturation and is linked to deficits even without severe retinopathy of prematurity.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Neonatology
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Visual maturation in preterm infants is a critical developmental process.
  • Early visual experiences may influence visual development.
  • Understanding the long-term visual outcomes in preterm infants is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of prematurity on visual function at 15 months corrected age.
  • To assess visual acuity, refractive status, contrast sensitivity, and strabismus in preterm infants.
  • To determine if early visual stimulation affects visual maturation in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • Visual function was assessed in 102 preterm infants (PTI) and 50 full-term infants (FTI).
  • Examinations included visual acuity, refractive status, contrast sensitivity, strabismus, fundus, and neurodevelopment.
  • Infants with major cerebral pathology or severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) were excluded.

Main Results:

  • Impairments in individual visual functions were significantly more common in PTI than FTI, particularly refractive errors (OR=10.5, p=0.007).
  • Visual deficits were more frequent in preterm infants born before 32 weeks gestational age, though not significantly.
  • Mild neurological or developmental abnormalities in preterm infants were not associated with increased visual deficits.

Conclusions:

  • Early visual stimulation in preterm infants does not appear to induce visual maturation.
  • Prematurity is associated with impairments in specific visual functions, even in the absence of major ROP or neurodevelopmental deficits.
  • Refractive errors represent a significant visual challenge for preterm infants.
Abstract

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