Refractive errors in children born before 32 weeks gestation

Purpose: To document the refractive errors in a cohort of children born before 32 weeks gestation. Methods: All children born before 32 weeks gestation between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 1991 to mothers resident in the Northern Region of the National Health Service were examined at 2 years old ( n = 558). Results: Stage 3 or worse retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) was associated with myopia. In those not developing stage 3 or worse ROP, the refractive errors were myopia in 1.5%, hypermetropia >4 dioptres (D) in 5.4%, anisometropia >1 D in 1.1% and astigmatism >1.25 D in 5.7%. Conclusion: The incidence of refractive errors in those not developing stage 3 or worse ROP was similar to that in the general population.