Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Stereoacuity Improvement using Random-Dot Video Games
Published on: January 14, 2020
Longitudinal study of acuity and stereopsis in infants with or at-risk for esotropia
1Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle.
Insights
Infants with infantile esotropia showed poorer visual acuity by 36 months. High hyperopia increased strabismus risk, while moderate hyperopia and family history did not significantly impact strabismus development in this infant study.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Pediatric Optometry
Background:
- Early visual development is crucial for long-term ocular health.
- Strabismus and refractive errors like hyperopia are common pediatric visual conditions.
- Understanding longitudinal visual development in at-risk infants is essential for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally assess grating acuity and stereopsis in infants with infantile esotropia, moderate/high hyperopia, or a family history of strabismus/amblyopia.
- To compare visual development trajectories between these at-risk groups and healthy controls.
- To identify risk factors for strabismus development and visual acuity deficits.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study measuring grating acuity and stereopsis in five infant groups (infantile esotropes, moderate hyperopes, high hyperopes, family history, controls).
- Grating acuity assessed using a forced-choice preferential looking procedure.
- Stereopsis evaluated with random-element stereograms across multiple age points (3-36 months).
Main Results:
- No significant acuity differences were observed until 30-36 months.
- Treated infantile esotropes demonstrated significantly poorer visual acuity (0.5 octave) compared to controls at 30-36 months.
- Infantile esotropes rarely showed stereopsis, and over 30% of high hyperopes developed strabismus by age 3.
Conclusions:
- Infantile esotropia is associated with delayed visual acuity development and impaired stereopsis.
- High hyperopia presents a significant risk factor for developing strabismus in infancy.
- Moderate hyperopia and family history alone did not lead to strabismus in this cohort, suggesting other etiological factors.
Abstract:
Grating acuity and stereopsis were measured longitudinally in five groups of infants: infantile esotropes, moderate hyperopes, high hyperopes, infants with a family history of strabismus or amblyopia and controls. Grating acuity was measured with a forced-choice preferential looking procedure. Stereopsis was assessed with a random-element stereogram. Testing was conducted when subjects were 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months of age. No differences among groups in absolute acuity scores or interocular acuity differences were found until the infants reached 30 and 36 months of age. At these ages, treated infantile esotropes showed acuity scores that were, on average, 0.5 octave poorer than those of controls for both the eye showing the better acuity and the eye showing the worse acuity. Stereopsis testing indicated that few, if any, of the infantile esotropes showed stereopsis at any of the test ages. Over 30% of the high hyperopes developed strabismus by age 3 years, but none of the infants in the moderate hyperopia or family history groups developed strabismus.
