Premature infants at risk for myopia development

Premature babies with mild retinopathy of prematurity, when measured at 40 weeks postconceptional age, had mild hypermetropia and higher and steeper keratometric values than term babies, a study found. The greater corneal curvature in the premature infants may contribute to the development of myopia, the researchers said.

M. Snir, MD, and colleagues said ophthalmologists and parents should be “aware of the possibility of visual dysfunction already very early in life even in relatively older premature infants.”

Dr. Snir and colleagues compared refraction and keratometry readings of 33 preterm babies with 33 term infants. The preterm group underwent funduscopy 4 to 5 weeks after delivery. Ophthalmic examination at 40 weeks postconceptional age included cycloplegic retinoscopy, funduscopy and keratometric measurements.

The authors noted stage 1 or 2 retinopathy of prematurity in 88% of the premature infants on the first funduscopy examination but in only 36% by the corrected age of 40 weeks. Significant differences were seen between groups in cycloplegic refraction (P = .02) and keratometry (P = .001). Gestational age and birth weight had no impact on the refractive and keratometric findings in the preterm infants, the authors said.

The study is published in the July issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology.