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Retinal structure and visual pathway function at school age in children born extremely preterm: a population-based

Sigrid Hegna Ingvaldsen1,2, Kyrre Moljord3,4, Arnstein Grøtting5

  • 1Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. sigrid.h.ingvaldsen@ntnu.no.

BMC Ophthalmology
|July 1, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Children born extremely preterm show persistent retinal and visual pathway immaturity. Thinner retinal layers correlate with delayed visual evoked potential latencies, indicating ongoing development needs.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks) often exhibit reduced visual function, even without diagnosed neonatal conditions.
  • This study investigates retinal structure and visual pathway function in school-aged children born extremely preterm.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess retinal structure using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual function via pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEPs).
  • To explore associations between retinal structure and visual pathway function in this cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Examined 36 extremely preterm children (born 2006-2011) using OCT, OCT-angiography (OCT-A), and PR-VEPs.
  • Measured foveal avascular zone (FAZ), macular vascular density/flow (OCT-A), and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and inner plexiform ganglion cell layer (IPGCL) thickness (OCT).
  • Assessed PR-VEPs for N70-P100 amplitude and latencies.

Main Results:

  • Participants showed abnormal retinal structure and delayed P100 latencies compared to reference populations.
  • Negative correlation found between P100 latency and RNFL/IPGCL thickness.
  • Children with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) had smaller FAZ, altered macular vascularity, and thinner RNFL/IPGCL.

Conclusions:

  • Extremely preterm children without brain injury sequelae exhibit signs of immature retinal vasculature and neuroretinal layers.
  • Thinner neuroretinal layers are linked to delayed P100 latency, suggesting continued visual pathway development is crucial.
Abstract

Keywords:
Extremely pretermOptical coherence tomographyRetinopathy of prematurityVisual evoked potentials

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