Photoreceptor Function in School-Aged Children is Affected by Preterm Birth.

Purpose: Prematurely born children have affected visual functions at school age. Optical coherent tomography (OCT) has shown morphological changes in the retina, suggesting a disturbance in normal retinal development in these children. The aim of this study was to examine retinal function with fullfield electroretinogram (ffERG) in school-aged children born prematurely and compare with children born at term. A second aim was to correlate retinal function with visual acuity (VA), gestational age (GA), birth weight, and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Methods: The study group consisted of 35 former preterm children born before GA of 32 weeks. A group of 42 children born at term acted as controls. All children were between 5- and 18-years old. FfERG was performed in both eyes. Best-corrected VA and refraction in cycloplegia was determined.

Results: The a-wave of the combined rod/cone responses was significantly reduced in the prematurely-born children compared with children born at term. There was a correlation between reduced a-wave amplitude in the combined rod/cone response and ROP and GA at birth.

Conclusion: Function of photoreceptors was affected in prematurely born children, possibly also in children without previous ROP. Whether immaturity per se affects the retinal function remains to be elucidated.

Translational Relevance: The present study illustrates that electrophysiological studies of the retinal function can help us understand visual dysfunctions in prematurely born children.