14 DAY TRIAL // Children born preterm should perform eye tests when 2,5 years of age in order to prevent developing vision disorders until they turn 10. A recent study carried out by a team of Swedish researchers at the Uppsala University Hospital found that children born prematurely have a significantly high risk of becoming afflicted with eye disorders than their peers who have been delivered at term. Among vision disorders developed by preemies, the most common are astigmatism and anisometropia.
The study was conducted on 198 pre-term babies found that those who did not perform eye tests when 2.5 years of age were very likely to develop vision problems until they turned 10. On the other hand, infants who got tested for vision problems 2,5 years after they were born had a significantly lower risk of eye disorders later on, including up to the age of 10.
The team of researchers led by Dr. Eva K. Larsson of Uppsala University Hospital stated: "The presence of astigmatism and anisometropia at 2.5 years of age were the strongest risk factors for having astigmatism and anisometropia at 10 years of age. Although the children with severe cryotreated retinopathy of prematurity had the highest prevalence of refractive errors, we found that the development over time of astigmatism and anisometropia ... was similar, regardless the stage of retinopathy of prematurity." Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vision problem triggered by an abnormal development of blood vessels in the retina of the infants.
The findings of the current study have been published in the Archives of Ophtalmology Journal and showed that new mothers who give birth to pre-term babies should grow more aware of the fact that delivering an infant before term may make him more prone to a wide range of health disorders and conditions, including vision trouble. This is why Swedish scientists strongly advised that preemies should perform eye-tests when 2,5 years of age in order to prevent more serious vision problems.
"Recommendations for follow-up examinations must include all aspects of visual function, i.e., visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and visual fields, as well as the refraction, strabismus and perceptual problems. All preterm children should be included in such follow-up examination for refractive error, irrespective of the retinopathy of prematurity stage," concluded the team in their report.