Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in school-aged prematurely-born children compared to children born at term

AimTo investigate the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) with optical coherent tomography (OCT) in prematurely-born children.Methods62 children born with a gestational age of ≤32 weeks, and a control group of 54 children born at term with normal birth weight (BW) were included in the study. 28 of the preterm children had retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in the neonatal period; eight of them had severe ROP (stages 3–4). RNFL thickness was measured with Stratus OCT 3. Mean age at examination was 8.6 years in the preterm children and 10.1 years in the control group.ResultsThere was a significant difference between the children born preterm and those born at term, regarding RNFL thickness in the superior (right eye (RE), p=0.043; left eye (LE), p=0.048) and the nasal quadrants (RE, p=0.006; LE, p