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Macular Curvature in Children Born Preterm With and Without ROP - Results From the Gutenberg Prematurity Study Young
Achim Fieß1, Sandra Gißler1, Alica Hartmann1
1Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
Insights
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treatment and adverse perinatal events flatten macular shape in children. Axial length growth increases macular curvature, and choroidal thickness influences macular development.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Retinal Imaging
Background:
- Macular curvature is a key indicator of retinal development and health.
- Understanding factors influencing macular shape in childhood is crucial for early detection of visual impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between prematurity, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and ocular geometry with macular curvature coefficient in children and adolescents.
- To identify perinatal factors and ocular parameters that correlate with macular shape in young individuals.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study (Gutenberg Prematurity Study Young) of 4-17 year olds.
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT) used to measure macular curvature coefficient.
- Linear regression analyses to assess associations with gestational age, birth weight, ROP, and ocular geometry.
Main Results:
- ROP treatment and perinatal adverse events were negatively associated with macular curvature (flatter macula).
- Spherical equivalent and subfoveal choroidal thickness showed negative associations with macular curvature coefficient.
- Adjusted analyses confirmed independent links between ROP treatment, adverse events, and macular shape.
Conclusions:
- ROP treatment and perinatal adverse events are independently linked to a flatter macular shape in childhood and adolescence.
- Age-related axial length growth increases macular curvature coefficient.
- Subfoveal choroidal thickness plays a role in macular shape development during childhood and adolescence.
Purpose:
This study investigated the associations of prematurity, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and ocular geometry with the macular curvature coefficient in children and adolescents.
Methods:
The Gutenberg Prematurity Study Young is a retrospective cohort study of preterm and full-term participants aged 4 to 17 years with a prospective ophthalmologic examination. The macular curvature coefficient in the foveal scan imaged with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and its associations with gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW) percentile, ROP occurrence and treatment, and other perinatal factors were investigated. These were evaluated in linear regression analyses. A second analysis assessed the association with ocular geometry.
Results:
In the present study, 453 eyes of 234 term-born participants and 906 eyes of 469 preterm-born participants were examined (mean age = 11.8 years, 375 girls). In multivariable analyses for perinatal parameters, ROP treatment (B = -57.82, P < 0.001) and perinatal adverse events (B = -15.3, P = 0.01) showed a negative association with the macular curvature coefficient. Regarding ocular geometry, spherical equivalent was negatively associated with the macular curvature coefficient after adjustment for age and sex (B = -6.19, P = 0.004). In a sensitivity analysis, subfoveal choroidal thickness was negatively associated with the macular curvature coefficient (B = -0.10, P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
Our study showed that ROP treatment and perinatal adverse events were independently linked to a flatter macular shape in childhood and adolescence. The age-related growth of axial length leads to a larger macular curvature coefficient. Subfoveal choroidal thickness is involved in macular shape development at this age.
