The impact of moderate-to-late prematurity on ocular structures and visual function in Saudi children

To assess and compare ophthalmologic and morphologic outcomes between school-age children born moderate-to-late preterm and those born at term.

Fifty children born moderate-to-late preterm (gestational age 32 weeks + 0 days to 36 + 6 days, age range 5-10 years) at a tertiary university hospital were age- and sex-matched to full-term controls. Visual acuity, refractive errors, ocular biometry, macular, and optic nerve assessments with optical coherence tomography were investigated and compared between cases and controls.

No differences in visual acuity or refraction were detected between the study groups. The difference in refractive error was not significant between the groups. Marked differences were observed in the anterior chamber depth, which was shallower in the preterm group (P = 0.044); however, no difference in total axial length was observed. The preterm and control groups significantly differed in terms of central macular thickness (247 ± 19 μm versus 235 ± 22 μm; P = 0.005 right eye); however, the groups did not significantly differ in foveal thickness. Central subfield thickness was also markedly greater in the preterm than in the control children (246.89 ± 19.1 μm versus 236.12 ± 23.3 μm, P = 0.015). No significant differences in mean parafoveal/perifoveal thicknesses or optic nerve parameters were observed between both groups.

Significant differences between moderate to late preterm and full-term groups in regards to anterior chamber depth, central macular thickness, and central subfield thickness were found. It is important to recognize that being born preterm might have an impact on some ocular structures. Larger population-based studies should be conducted to study the long-term sequelae of moderate-to-late prematurity in our children.