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Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder show an amblyopia‐like pattern of vision deficit
Author(s) -
VERNESCU ROXANA M,
ADAMS RUSSELL J,
COURAGE MARY L
Publication year - 2012
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.1469-8749.2012.04254.x
Subject(s) - stereoscopic acuity , fetal alcohol spectrum disorder , visual acuity , refractive error , anisometropia , color vision , fetal alcohol syndrome , prenatal alcohol exposure , audiology , psychology , fetal alcohol , medicine , ophthalmology , pregnancy , biology , computer science , computer vision , genetics
Aim The aim of the study was to assess and characterize visual functioning in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) using a broader and more inclusive range of measures than has been reported previously. Method Standard tests of visual functioning were used to assess 21 children (11 females, 10 males) with FASD and 21 sex‐ and age‐matched comparison children without FASD. The age of the children ranged from 6 years 9 months to 11 years 11 months (mean 9y 6mo). Children were tested individually under standardized conditions for visual acuity, stereoacuity, contrast sensitivity, ocular alignment/motility, color vision, and refractive error. Results Compared with non‐affected children, children with FASD showed deficits in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and stereoacuity. Ocular alignment/motility, refractive error, and color vision measures were normal. Among children with FASD, 62% met the criteria for referral to an eye specialist, compared with 20% of children without FASD. Interpretation Children with FASD showed an amblyopia‐like pattern of vision deficit in the absence of the optical and oculomotor disruptions of early experience that usually precede this condition. Evidence from animal models suggests that the deficits in spatial vision may be due to alterations in the functional architecture of the neocortex that occurs following prenatal alcohol exposure.