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Published on: December 31, 2015
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Characterization of Foveal Development in Treatment-Naïve Extremely Preterm Infants
Ye He1,2, Moritz Pettenkofer1, Alison Chu3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Doheny Eye Institute, Stein Eye institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Translational Vision Science & Technology
|June 13, 2022
Summary
Extremely preterm infants show altered foveal development, with a thicker inner retina and shallower foveal pit compared to peers. This highlights the impact of prematurity on visual system development.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Foveal development is crucial for visual acuity.
- Extremely preterm (EPT) infants (<28 weeks gestational age) are at risk for visual impairments.
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a key imaging modality for assessing retinal structure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize and quantify foveal development in treatment-naïve extremely preterm infants.
- To compare foveal parameters between EPT and non-EPT infants using OCT.
- To investigate the effects of gestational age on foveal development.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of infants with varying gestational ages (22-39 weeks).
- OCT imaging to assess inner and outer retinal thickness at the foveal center and rim.
- Multivariable analyses (PCA, PLSDA) to compare EPT and non-EPT groups.
Main Results:
- Foveal inner retinal thickness was the primary differentiator between EPT and non-EPT infants.
- EPT infants exhibited a sustained thicker foveal inner retina from 32 to 80 weeks postmenstrual age.
- A shallower foveal pit was observed in EPT infants compared to non-EPT infants.
Conclusions:
- Twenty-eight weeks of gestation appears to be a critical point for foveal development.
- EPT infants display altered foveal inner retinal development, resulting in a thicker inner retina and shallower pit postnatally.
- Untreated foveal parameters provide a baseline for understanding prematurity's effects and evaluating post-treatment outcomes.
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