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Refractive errors in children born before 32 weeks gestation

P M Pennefather1, W Tin, N P Strong

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, St Paul's Eye Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, UK.

Eye (London, England)
|January 1, 1997
PubMed

Insights

Refractive errors in preterm infants are linked to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). However, for infants without severe ROP, refractive error rates are comparable to the general population.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Neonatal studies
  • Pediatric research

Background:

  • Premature birth before 32 weeks gestation poses risks for infant development.
  • Refractive errors are common vision impairments in children.
  • Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant concern in extremely preterm infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and types of refractive errors.
  • To assess refractive outcomes in a cohort of children born before 32 weeks gestation.
  • To compare refractive error incidence with and without severe retinopathy of prematurity.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 558 children born before 32 weeks gestation was studied.
  • Examinations were conducted at 2 years of age.
  • Refractive errors including myopia, hypermetropia, anisometropia, and astigmatism were documented.

Main Results:

  • Severe retinopathy of prematurity (stage 3 or worse) was associated with myopia.
  • In infants without severe ROP, myopia occurred in 1.5%.
  • Other refractive errors in this group included hypermetropia (>4 D) in 5.4%, anisometropia (>1 D) in 1.1%, and astigmatism (>1.25 D) in 5.7%.

Conclusions:

  • The incidence of refractive errors in preterm infants without severe ROP is similar to that observed in the general population.
  • This suggests that severe ROP is a key factor influencing refractive outcomes in this cohort.
  • Early monitoring for refractive errors is crucial for preterm infants, especially those with a history of ROP.
Abstract

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