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Visual function in school‐aged children born before 29 weeks of gestation: a population‐based study
Author(s) -
Hård AnnaLena,
Niklasson Aimon,
Svensson Elisabeth,
Hellström Ann
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2000.tb00054.x
Subject(s) - visual acuity , medicine , gestation , visual perception , population , audiology , perception , visual impairment , pediatrics , psychology , pregnancy , ophthalmology , psychiatry , environmental health , neuroscience , biology , genetics
The aim of this study was to assess visual function, including visual perception, in a geographically‐based population of school‐aged children, with a median age of 7.2 years (range 5.1 to 9.3 years), born before 29 weeks of gestation to mothers living in Göteborg, Sweden. Fifty‐one preterm children participated in the study, six of whom had known brain lesions. Visual acuity, visual fields, stereoacuity, and visual perception were tested. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills —Revised (TVPS‐R, Gardner 1996) was used to measure visual perception, and the results were compared with those of 50 term (control) subjects. Six percent of the preterm children were visually impaired, with a visual acuity of less than 0.3 (6/18), while 42% of all the preterm children and 34% of those without known brain lesions had a total score below the 5th centile of the reference material for the test, compared with 14% of the control subjects. In conclusion, visual‐perceptual problems seem to be common among very preterm children and should be screened for and assessed before the children start school.