Visual acuity and retinoscopy of preterm and full-term infants during the first year of life

Abstract

A prospective and comparative follow-up study was performed to evaluate visual acuity and retinoscopy in 18 healthy preterm and 30 full-term infants during their first year of life. A complete ophthalmologic examination was performed on each infant at 1, 4, 12, 24, and 48 weeks of life. Visual acuity and refractive values of preterm and full-term infants were compared at the same postnatal age. Although visual acuity values were lower in preterm infants at all ages tested, in general visual acuity improved at a greater rate during the first 6 months of life and tended to slow down during the last half of the first year in both groups. Preterm infants had a lesser degree of hyperopia and greater astigmatism compared with full-term infants. With the rule astigmatism predominated in both groups. The evaluation of visual acuity and refraction during the first years of life is of great importance in early detection and prevention of amblyopia and refractive errors.