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PubMed · 7875777

Refractive errors in preterm babies.

M Verma·J Chhatwal·S Jaison·S Thomas·R Daniel
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Abstract

Fifty preterm neonates were followed up at the age of 6 months and 1 year. In addition to developmental assessment, a complete ophthalmological examination was done on both visits. The largest (62%) gestational age group was of 34-36 weeks. At 6 months, none of the infants had normal vision. At 1 year of age, 64% of the babies had normal vision while incidence of myopia and hypermetropia was 16% and 20%, respectively. There was an inverse relationship noted between gestation and incidence of refractive errors. It was also noted that with decreasing weight, the incidence of myopia increased. Myopia was seen exclusively among infants of birth weight of 2000 g or less. Birth weight had a significant positive correlation with astigmatism. No correlation of asphyxia with refractive errors was observed. It is recommended that all preterm babies should have an ophthalmological examination at one year of age with follow up later on.

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AnisometropiaAsphyxia NeonatorumAstigmatismBirth WeightFemaleFollow-Up StudiesGestational AgeHumansHyperopiaIncidenceIndiaInfantInfant, Low Birth WeightInfant, NewbornInfant, PrematureMaleMyopiaRefractive ErrorsVision, OcularAge FactorsAsiaBiologyBody WeightDemographic FactorsDeveloping CountriesExaminations And DiagnosesFetusFollow-up StudiesLow Birth WeightOphthalmological EffectsPhysiologyPopulationPopulation CharacteristicsPregnancyReproductionResearch ReportSouthern AsiaStudiesYouthJournal Article

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M Verma, J Chhatwal, S Jaison, S Thomas, R Daniel. 1994. Refractive errors in preterm babies.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7875777/

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PubMed1998

Screening for anisometropia in preschool children.

PURPOSE: A preschool vision screening program was reviewed to evaluate eccentric photoscreening (EP), visual acuity, and stereopsis in identifying anisometropia. METHODS: Patients referred by the screening were examined to assess efficacy of the three screening techniques in a population of preschool children. Testability and comparison of screening results to the classification of anisometropia (> or = 1 D) by retinoscopy obtained during a complete examination were evaluated. RESULTS: Although EP identified 94.5% of the anisometropic children as abnormal, only 27.8% were classified as anisometropic by EP. Of the anisometropic children, 36.1% failed acuity, but only 19.4% failed based on a 2 line or greater interocular acuity difference. Stereopsis correctly identified only 7.3% of anisometropes as abnormal. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of EP in identifying anisometropic children as abnormal was superior to acuity and stereopsis, yet its ability to identify anisometropia specifically was poor. Anisometropia of low magnitude or that masked by the dead zone of the EP system was frequently classified as isometropic. Altering the EP referral criterion and/or taking photographs through adequate power plus lenses may improve the sensitivity for specifically identifying anisometropia. However, caution must be exercised when using EP to examine the prevalence of anisometropia in a population or if used to screen for only amblyogenic refractive errors (i.e., anisometropia), because many anisometropes will be missed, resulting in inaccurate prevalence data and significant underreferrals.

Anisometropia↗
PubMed1998

Ophthalmological long-term follow up of preterm infants: a population based, prospective study of the refraction and its development.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have reported an increased risk of refractive errors in prematurely born infants, but only few have been long-term and strictly population based. METHODS: A 3.5 year ophthalmological long term follow up of 248 preterm infants was performed. The infants had been included in a previous epidemiological study of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (birth weight < or = 1500 grams). The incidence of refractive errors and development of refraction were studied, based on retinoscopies at 6 and 30 months of corrected age. RESULTS: The overall incidence of myopia was 8% at 6 months, of which 35% was transient, and 10% at 30 months. Of the cryotreated infants, 30-40% were myopic at both retinoscopies. The incidence of astigmatism was 52% at 6 months and 26% at 30 months. Astigmatism was associated with ROP, but not with cryotreated ROP itself. Astigmatism "against the rule" was commoner than astigmatism "with the rule". Anisometropia occurred in 6.5% of the infants at 6 months and in 8.4% at 30 months. The incidence of anisometropia was higher in eyes with ROP, particularly in cryotreated eyes, which tended to have high and persistent anisometropia. CONCLUSION: The risk of refractive errors is higher in preterm infants than in infants born at term, and also prematurely born infants without ROP do run an increased risk of having myopia and anisometropia. We recommend follow up examinations with retinoscopy for all infants included in screening programmes for ROP.

Anisometropia↗