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Growth Trajectories During Early Childhood and Ocular Development in High-Risk Infants

Yingya Zhao1, Yu Ma2, Yun Li3

  • 1Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
|March 12, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Accelerated growth in the first year of life is linked to poorer visual acuity and refractive outcomes in high-risk infants. This highlights the critical importance of early systemic growth for infant eye development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Ophthalmology
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Growth Monitoring

Background:

  • High-risk infants often exhibit atypical growth patterns and are susceptible to visual impairments.
  • Limited evidence exists linking early systemic growth trajectories with ocular development in this vulnerable population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between growth trajectories from birth to 3 years and ocular development in high-risk infants.
  • To identify critical periods of growth influencing visual acuity and refractive status.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based prospective study of 10,030 high-risk infants.
  • Repeated measurements of weight, length, BMI, and head circumference from birth to 36 months.
  • Calculation of growth velocities and assessment of uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction (SER) at 3-4 years.

Main Results:

  • Poorer UCVA was observed in preterm and term low-birth-weight infants compared to macrosomic infants.
  • Preterm infants had the most hyperopic SER, while macrosomic infants had the least.
  • Accelerated growth between 0-12 months was consistently associated with poorer UCVA and more hyperopic SER.

Conclusions:

  • Accelerated early-life growth, particularly within the first year, is associated with less favorable visual and refractive outcomes in high-risk infants.
  • The first postnatal year represents a critical window for coordinated systemic and ocular development.
Abstract

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