Grating acuity and visual field development in infants following perinatal asphyxia

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.