Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns
Published on: October 24, 2019
Visual processing in adolescents born extremely low birth weight and/or extremely preterm
Carly S Molloy1, Michelle Wilson-Ching, Vicki A Anderson
1Critical Care and Neurosciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia. carly.molloy@mcri.edu.au
Insights
Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) or extremely preterm (EP) adolescents have significantly poorer visual acuity and function compared to normal birth weight peers. These visual impairments persist into late adolescence, highlighting ongoing challenges despite medical advancements.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatalogy
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Infant ocular development differs between preterm and term-born infants.
- Long-term visual outcomes in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) or extremely preterm (EP) survivors lack contemporary data.
- ELBW/EP infants face potential long-term negative consequences for visual function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare visual functioning between ELBW/EP adolescents and normal birth weight (NBW) controls.
- To assess long-term visual outcomes in high-risk infant survivors.
- To provide contemporary data on visual morbidity in late adolescence for ELBW/EP individuals.
Main Methods:
- Geographically determined cohort study of 228 ELBW/EP survivors and 166 NBW controls.
- Participants assessed between 14 and 20 years of age.
- Evaluated visual acuity, stereopsis, convergence, color perception, and visual perception.
Main Results:
- ELBW/EP adolescents demonstrated significantly worse visual acuity in both eyes and for the best eye.
- Poorer stereopsis (OR 3.22) and convergence (OR 2.76) were observed in the ELBW/EP group.
- ELBW/EP adolescents experienced more visual perception problems (OR 3.09) compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Visual morbidity remains high in late adolescence for ELBW/EP survivors.
- Despite improved medical care, significant visual deficits persist in this high-risk population.
- Long-term follow-up and visual support are crucial for ELBW/EP individuals.
Background And Objectives:
Ocular growth and development differs between preterm and term-born infants and may cause long-term negative consequences for visual function, but contemporary data on long-term visual outcomes in representative samples of the highest risk extremely low birth weight (ELBW, <1000 g birth weight) or extremely preterm (EP, <28 weeks' gestation) survivors are lacking. Our objective was to compare visual functioning between ELBW/EP and normal birth weight (NBW, >2499 g birth weight) control adolescents.
Methods:
Geographically determined cohort study of 228 consecutive ELBW/EP survivors born in the state of Victoria in 1991 and 1992, and 166 randomly selected NBW controls assessed between 14 and 20 years of age. Visual acuity, stereopsis, convergence, color perception, and visual perception were assessed and contrasted between groups.
Results:
ELBW/EP subjects had significantly worse visual acuity with habitual correction in both the left and right eyes, and for the best eye (P < .001). The ELBW/EP adolescents also exhibited poorer stereopsis, odds ratio (OR) 3.22 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78 to 5.84), and convergence, OR 2.76 (CI 1.32 to 5.75) than controls, and more problems with visual perception, OR 3.09 (CI 1.67 to 5.71) after habitual correction.
Conclusions:
Despite advances in medical care improving the survival rate of high-risk ELBW/EP infants, visual morbidity is still relatively high compared with controls in late adolescence.
