Comparative study of visual functions in premature pre-school children with and without retinopathy of prematurity Estudo comparativo das funções visuais em pré-escolares nascidos prematuros com e sem retinopatia da prematuridade

INTRODUCTION For many decades, researchers worldwide have been investiga­ ting the causes of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and the best method to identify the preterm children that are at risk of developing this disease. In 2007, one ROP research group in Brazil published the criteria for se lecting premature children for examination and ROP treatment, following the assessment of regional characteristics of the disease in Brazil. At present, the analysis of the results of visual functions (VF) of pre ­ mature infants, i.e., visual acuity, chromatic and contrast discrimination, visual field, stereopsis, and ocular motility, has contributed to unravel the influence of ROP and its treatment on these functions. The effects of developmental conditions during the neonatal period (ROP deve­ lopment, low birth weight, gestational weight and age above the ex­ pected for ROP development, presence of neonatal complications, and brain damage) on visual functions have not yet been elucidated.