Visual acuity in newborn and preterm infants measured with grating acuity cards

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Infant Vision Science

Background:

• Assessing visual acuity in newborns is crucial for early detection of potential vision impairments.
• Existing methods for infant visual acuity testing can be time-consuming or require specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the binocular visual acuity of normal newborn infants, preterm infants, and full-term infants with nonophthalmologic conditions.
• To determine the feasibility and reliability of using grating acuity cards for infant vision assessment.

Main Methods:

• Binocular visual acuity was measured using grating acuity cards in infants across a range of gestational ages (34-44 weeks).
• The testing procedure was designed to be brief (approximately six minutes) and required minimal apparatus.
• Test success rates and visual acuity measurements were recorded.

Main Results:

• Visual acuity in infants at 39-40 weeks of gestational age was approximately 0.023 stripes per minute of arc (0.69 cycles per degree).
• Visual acuity demonstrated a significant improvement rate of 0.46 octaves per month between 34 and 44 weeks of gestational age.
• The grating acuity card test achieved an 89% success rate in this infant population.

Conclusions:

• Grating acuity cards provide a simple, fast, and reliable method for measuring binocular visual acuity in newborn infants.
• The findings establish normative visual acuity data for infants within the tested gestational age range.
• This method supports routine vision screening in neonatal and pediatric settings.