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Comparative Study of Refractive Errors, Strabismus, Microsaccades, and Visual Perception Between Preterm and
Nikolaos Kozeis1, Georgios D Panos2, Dimitrios I Zafeiriou3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Hippokration General Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy often have visual impairments. Prematurity did not increase refractive errors or binocular disorders in this study, though astigmatism was higher in preterm children.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) affects motor function and can impact visual development.
- Preterm birth is a known risk factor for various developmental issues, including visual impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of prematurity on refractive status, orthoptic status, and visual perception in children with cerebral palsy.
- To determine if prematurity is an additional risk factor for refractive errors and binocular disorders in children with CP.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 100 school-aged children with congenital cerebral palsy (70 preterm, 30 full-term).
- Assessment of refractive errors (hypermetropia, myopia, astigmatism), orthoptic status, and visual perception.
Main Results:
- Astigmatism was significantly more prevalent in the preterm group compared to the full-term group.
- No statistically significant differences were found in hypermetropia, myopia, or emmetropia between the groups.
- Orthoptic status was similar, and visual perception was reduced in both groups without significant differences.
Conclusions:
- Children with cerebral palsy exhibit impaired visual skills, potentially contributing to reading difficulties.
- Prematurity does not appear to be an independent risk factor for developing refractive errors or binocular disorders in children with cerebral palsy.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the refractive status, orthoptic status and visual perception in a group of preterm and another of full-term children with cerebral palsy, in order to investigate whether prematurity has an effect on the development of refractive errors and binocular disorders. A hundred school-aged children, 70 preterm and 30 full-term, with congenital cerebral palsy were examined. Differences for hypermetropia, myopia, and emmetropia were not statistically significant between the 2 groups. Astigmatism was significantly increased in the preterm group. The orthoptic status was similar for both groups. Visual perception was markedly reduced in both groups, but the differences were not significant. In conclusion, children with cerebral palsy have impaired visual skills, leading to reading difficulties. The presence of prematurity does not appear to represent an additional risk factor for the development of refractive errors and binocular disorders.
