PATTERNS OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT ASSOCIATED WITH LESIONS OF THE PRETERM INFANT BRAIN

The visual function of 42 children with haemorrhagic and/or ischaemic cerebral lesions acquired before a gestational age of 35 weeks was exa mined and related to cranial ultrasound in the neonatal period and to MRI and neurodevelopmental status at follow-up. All 37 children with a bnormal ultrasound scans and one of the five with normal ultrasound sc ans showed impairment of one or more aspects of visual function. While impaired acuity was more frequent among infants with MRI evidence of visual pathway damage, this was not an invariable finding. Normal or n ear-normal visual acuity did not preclude the presence of other functi onal visual deficits. The authors conclude that preterm cerebral insul ts may produce a variety of visual difficulties, the pattern and sever ity of which cannot be predicted on imaging. Each child therefore requ ires individual assessment of multiple aspects of visual function.