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Visual field development in infants with stage 3 retinopathy of prematurity
B Luna1, V Dobson, N A Carpenter
1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Insights
Infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) showed delayed visual field development compared to controls. This suggests peripheral retinal dysfunction in ROP impacts visual field maturation.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Developmental Biology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant cause of visual impairment in premature infants.
- Understanding the long-term visual consequences of ROP is crucial for early intervention and management.
- Binocular visual field development is a key indicator of overall visual system maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the development of binocular visual fields in infants with a history of stage 3 ROP.
- To compare visual field development between infants with and without ROP, matched for key perinatal factors.
- To determine if ROP is associated with lasting deficits or delays in visual field expansion.
Main Methods:
- Kinetic perimetry was employed to assess visual fields in 11 infants with stage 3 ROP and 11 matched controls.
- Visual fields were measured at 4, 9, and 18 months corrected age along specific meridians (45, 135, 225, 315 degrees).
- Statistical analyses (ANOVA) were used to compare visual field sizes between the ROP and control groups at each time point.
Main Results:
- At 4 months, both ROP and control groups exhibited normal visual fields for their age.
- By 9 months, infants with ROP demonstrated significantly smaller visual fields compared to controls (P < 0.05).
- While visual fields remained smaller in the ROP group at 18 months, the difference was no longer statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- Peripheral retinal dysfunction in ROP may lead to a constriction or delayed development of the visual field.
- These findings highlight the potential for subtle, yet measurable, visual field deficits following ROP.
- Longitudinal monitoring of visual field development is important for infants with a history of ROP.
Abstract:
Binocular visual field development was measured in 11 infants who had stage 3 ROP in early infancy and in 11 infants without ROP, matched for birthweight and gestational age. Kinetic perimetry was used to measure visual fields along the 45 degree, 135 degree, 225 degree and 315 degree half-meridia. Infants were tested at 4, 9, and 18 months from due date. Analyses of variance were used to compare results of the two groups for each age tested. Results at the 4-month test age indicated that both groups had visual fields within the normal range for their age. However, at the 9-month test age the ROP group showed a significantly (P less than 0.05) smaller visual field than the control group. At 18 months, the ROP group still showed smaller visual fields than the control group, but the difference was not significant. The results suggest that dysfunction of the peripheral retina associated with ROP may produce a constriction of the visual field or a delay in visual field development.