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Grating acuity and visual field development in infants following perinatal asphyxia
1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Langley Hall, PA 15260, USA.
Insights
Children with perinatal asphyxia (ASPH) show lower grating acuity and smaller visual fields compared to healthy preterm infants. These visual deficits persist, particularly by 36 months corrected age.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Neonatal Neurology
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Perinatal asphyxia (ASPH) is a significant risk factor for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants.
- Visual impairments can arise from hypoxic-ischemic brain injury following perinatal asphyxia.
- Longitudinal assessment of visual function is crucial for understanding developmental trajectories in at-risk infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate grating acuity and visual fields in children with perinatal asphyxia (ASPH).
- To compare visual outcomes between infants with ASPH and healthy preterm (H-PT) controls.
- To identify factors associated with visual deficits in infants following ASPH.
Main Methods:
- Grating acuity and visual fields were assessed in 66 children with ASPH and 41 H-PT children.
- Testing occurred at multiple corrected ages from birth to 36 months.
- Statistical analyses compared visual performance between groups and explored correlations with clinical factors.
Main Results:
- The ASPH group exhibited significantly lower mean grating acuity scores at 30 and 36 months corrected age compared to H-PT controls.
- Mean visual field size was significantly smaller in the ASPH group at 9, 12, 30, and 36 months.
- Central nervous system abnormalities, including intraventricular haemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia, were linked to visual deficits.
Conclusions:
- Infants with perinatal asphyxia (ASPH) experience persistent deficits in grating acuity and visual field size.
- These visual impairments are associated with central nervous system abnormalities.
- Early identification and monitoring of visual function are important for infants with a history of ASPH.
Abstract:
Grating acuity and visual fields were assessed in 66 children who had had perinatal asphyxia (ASPH). Also tested were 41 healthy preterm children (H-PT). Subjects were tested at birth to one month, and four, nine, 12, 17, 24, 30 and 36 months corrected age. The mean acuity scores of the ASPH group were lower than those of the H-PT group at most test ages, and significantly so at 30 and 36 months. The mean visual field size of the infants in the ASPH group was significantly smaller than that of the H-PT group at nine, 12, 30 and 36 months. No significant effects were found for preterm vs term birth, gestational age at birth, degree of asphyxia and presence of strabismus. However, central nervous system abnormalities (intraventricular haemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia) were related to deficits in acuity and visual field size.