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The development of visual acuity in normal fullterm and preterm infants
Insights
Visual acuity development in preterm infants catches up to fullterm infants by 6-8 months corrected age. Early visual experience may slightly accelerate preterm visual development, contrary to some electrophysiological findings.
Area of Science:
- Developmental pediatrics
- Ophthalmology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Visual acuity development is crucial in early infancy.
- Preterm infants often exhibit developmental differences compared to fullterm infants.
- Understanding visual development in preterm infants informs early intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare visual acuity development between fullterm and preterm infants during the first year of life.
- To investigate the impact of corrected age on visual acuity in preterm infants.
- To explore potential acceleration of visual development due to early visual experience in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the forced-choice preferential looking technique.
- Assessed 91 normal fullterm infants and 36 preterm infants with minimal perinatal complications.
- Analyzed visual acuity based on both chronological and corrected-for-prematurity age.
Main Results:
- Preterm infants' visual acuity lagged behind fullterm infants when using chronological age up to 6-8 months.
- When age was corrected for prematurity, visual acuities were similar between groups.
- Mean preterm visual acuity was consistently slightly higher than fullterm infants at corrected ages.
Conclusions:
- Corrected age is a critical factor in assessing visual acuity development in preterm infants.
- Early visual experience up to the expected date of term may slightly accelerate behavioral visual acuity in preterm infants.
- Findings suggest a potential divergence between behavioral and electrophysiological measures of visual development in preterm infants.
Abstract:
The development of visual acuity during the first year of life was assessed in 91 normal fullterm infants and 36 preterm infants with minimal perinatal complications, using the forced-choice preferential looking technique. Acuity in the preterm infants lagged behind that of the fullterm infants up to the age of 6-8 months if age was calculated from birth, and then reached equal levels. When age was corrected for prematurity, acuities in the two groups were very similar at all ages, but mean preterm acuity was consistently slightly higher than in the fullterm infants. The results suggest that early visual experience of preterm infants in the period up to the expected date of term may lead to a slight acceleration of the development of behavioural visual acuity. This is discussed in relation to electrophysiological studies which report a greater effect of prematurity on acuity development.