title: Ophthalmological outcome and visuospatial ability in very preterm children measured at 2.5 years corrected age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the ophthalmological outcome of very preterm children at 2.5 years corrected age (CA) and perform a test of visuospatial and cognitive abilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based, prospective study (LOVIS study) in Uppsala County, Sweden, comprised 111 very preterm children (<32 w gestational age [GA]) born between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2007. Ophthalmic evaluations were undertaken in 98/109 children (89.9%) alive at 2.5 years. Spatial cognition was investigated with a test of five alternative blocks in 48 preterm and 25 term-born children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Visual impairment, strabismus or refractive errors, were found in 12% of the children. None of the children were blind in both eyes. Logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations between strabismus and periventricular leucomalacia/intraventricular haemorrhage (OR 9.6, p = 0.025) and between refractive errors and severe retinopathy of prematurity (OR 9.8, p = 0.011) and GA (OR 0.763, p = 0.034). Oval and rectangular blocks were significantly more difficult to insert into a box for preterm than full-term children (p = 0.048 and 0.013, respectively). There was a significant correlation between total scores for the five blocks and GA at birth (p = 0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eye and visual problems were found in 12% of the preterm children at 30 months CA. Preterm children had difficulties with blocks of complex shapes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience/Ophthalmology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hreinsdottir
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ewald
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Strand Brodd
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Örnkloo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Hofsten
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holmström
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013028:Space Perception; D065855:Spatial Processing; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014785:Vision, Ocular
keywords: Ophthalmological outcome; Very preterm children; Visual cognition