Visual function in adults born preterm with very low birth weight—A two-country birth cohort study

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the study was to investigate visual function and vision-related general health in adults that were born preterm with very low birth weight (VLBW: birth weight < 1500 g) in their 30s–40s. Methods We recruited 137 adults born preterm with VLBW and 158 term-born controls aged 31–43 years from two birth cohorts: the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults (Finland) and the NTNU Low Birth Weight in a Lifetime Perspective study (Norway). We used neonatal data and measured refraction, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart, contrast sensitivity, visual fields, intraocular pressure (IOP), self-reported vision-targeted health status with the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25. Results VLBW adults had a lower BCVA ETDRS score than controls: mean (SD) better eye 86.7 (13.4) versus 90.2 (4.4), p = 0.02; mean (SD) worse eye 82.3 (14.9) versus 87.6 (4.6), p = 0.003. VLBW adults also had lower contrast sensitivity thresholds in several spatial frequencies and scored lower than controls in eight out of the 12 subscales of self-reported vision-targeted health status. Refraction, visual fields and IOP were similar between groups. Two VLBW participants were blind. None had been treated for retinopathy of prematurity. Conclusion We suggest that lower visual function and vision-related health represent life-long consequences of prematurity and VLBW in the studied 31- to 43-year-old cohort. The underlying mechanisms remain to be determined.