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Are the pupils of premature infants affected by intraventricular hemorrhage?
1Jules Stein Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA.
Insights
Pupil size and light reactivity in infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) are generally unaffected. This study found no significant differences compared to healthy controls, suggesting IVH does not impact neonatal pupils.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Pediatric ophthalmology
Background:
- The pupillary response in infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is inconsistently reported in medical literature.
- Previous descriptions include miosis, light reactivity, non-reactivity, and anisocoria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare pupil size and light reactivity in infants with and without IVH.
- To determine if IVH severity correlates with pupillary characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Compared pupil diameter and light response in 20 infants with IVH against 30 control infants.
- Pupil size was measured in relative darkness across various postconceptional ages.
- Pupil light reactivity onset was recorded.
Main Results:
- Both groups showed similar mean pupil diameters (3.0-4.0 mm) in relative darkness.
- The age of first light response was comparable, around 30 weeks postconception, in both groups.
- No relationship was found between IVH severity (by ultrasound) and pupil diameter.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage does not generally affect pupil size or light reactivity.
- Pupillary examination findings in infants with IVH are comparable to those without IVH.
Abstract:
The size and reactivity to light of the pupil in infants with intraventricular hemorrhage has been variously described in the literature. These descriptions have included miosis, reactivity to light, nonreactivity to light, and anisocoria. We studied the size and light reactivity of 20 infants with intraventricular hemorrhage compared with 30 controls. Both groups displayed a mean pupil diameter in relative darkness of 3.0 to 4.0 mm at various postconceptional ages (P > .05). The age of first response to light was about 30 weeks after conception in each group (P > .05). The severity of intraventricular hemorrhage as determined by ultrasound was not related to the pupil diameter in relative darkness. In general, the pupils of neonates are not affected by intraventricular hemorrhage.