Visual Field Assessment in Infants and Young Children with Primary Congenital Glaucoma using the Baby Vision Screener

The Baby Vision Screener (BaViS) is a device that can test visual fields in infants and young children. Using this device, visual field constriction can be documented in young children with primary congenital glaucoma.

Visual field extent is compromised in patients with glaucoma. While it is relatively easy to quantify visual fields in adults, monitoring visual fields in infants and young children with glaucoma is challenging. Lack of readily available diagnostic equipment is also a barrier. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of a new device called Baby Vision Screener (BaViS) for measuring visual field extent in this population.

BaViS is a dome-shaped device with LEDs on its surface and an infrared camera mounted to monitor in real-time and record the tested individual's face, along with the presented stimuli. Stato-kinetic LED stimuli were presented in BaViS to perform kinetic perimetry. Fourteen infants (mean age ± SD: 4.4±3.4 mo) and 15 young children (mean age ± SD: 3.5±1.8 y) diagnosed with bilateral primary congenital glaucoma were tested using BaViS monocularly, binocularly, or both.

Visual field isopters were plotted in 77% of the participants. The youngest infant tested using this device was 29 days old. The youngest participant for whom we could map a reliable visual field isopter was 2.3 months old. Constriction of the visual field was observed in 50% of the participants on whom a reliable visual field could be obtained.

This preliminary study demonstrates that BaViS can be used to test the visual fields in young infants and children with glaucoma. Such a test may be useful for long-term follow-up until the child is ready to be tested using other conventional devices.