Abstract Details

Title Longitudinal Assessment of High- and Low-Contrast Visual Acuity in Normally-Sighted Children

Topic Child Neurology and Developmental Neurology

Presentation(s) P10 - Poster Session 10 (8:00 AM-9:00 AM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 4-009

Objective To characterize longitudinal visual changes in healthy children.

Background Visual acuity (VA) is often used as an outcome measure in clinical and research investigations, although age-related normative contrast data is lacking. We have previously demonstrated in a cross-sectional cohort (ages 5-20 years, grouped by age) that mean monocular and binocular high-contrast visual acuity (HCVA) and monocular low-contrast letter acuity (LCLA) scores increase with age linearly between 5–14 years in normally-sighted youth; however, improvements in acuity scores have not been validated longitudinally in individual children.

Design/Methods Children and young adults without neurologic, systemic, or ocular diseases (except refractive error) enrolled in our research program were eligible for longitudinal vision testing. Binocular HCVA and LCLA were assessed at 2 meters using EDTRS and Sloan charts (2.5% and 1.25% contrast). Linear regression with generalized estimating equations to account for repeated observations were used to calculate mean annual visual acuity change.

Results Among 101 subjects enrolled in the cross-sectional study, 27 subjects returned for longitudinal testing at a mean of 2.78 years after initial testing. For subjects ≥13 years of age, the mean annual change in binocular scores in letters was -0.67 (p=0.01), -0.82 (p=0.04), and -1.58 (p=0.01) for HCVA, LCLA 2.5%, and LCLA 1.25%, respectively. For subjects <13 years, the mean annual change in binocular scores was 2.31 (p=0.008), 1.71 (p=0.003), and 2.03 (p=0.04) for HCVA, LCLA 2.5%, and LCLA 1.25%, respectively. For all levels of contrast, subjects <7 years of age demonstrated the greatest mean annual changes.

Conclusions While HCVA, LCLA 2.5%, and LCLA 1.25% increase annually in children <13 years, scores are expected to remain constant or slightly decrease thereafter. Given variabilities in normal visual acuity changes across the age span, clinicians should use caution when interpreting treatment response or disease progression based on such measures.

Authors/Disclosures
John R. Sollee (Sidney Kimmel Medical College At Thomas Jefferson University) PRESENTER	Mr. Sollee has nothing to disclose.
Amy Lavery	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
	No disclosure on file
Amy T. Waldman, MD (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)	Dr. Waldman has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for SwanBio. An immediate family member of Dr. Waldman has or had stock in Pfizer. The institution of Dr. Waldman has received research support from Ionis Pharmaceuticals. The institution of Dr. Waldman has received research support from Roche/Genentech. The institution of Dr. Waldman has received research support from Ionis Pharmaceuticals. The institution of Dr. Waldman has received research support from Calico. Dr. Waldman has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care. Dr. Waldman has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care.

��ɫ��

��ɫ��