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Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of strabismus and nystagmus and to analyse associated factors in preterm and full-term infants in adulthood., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmological examination of participants born preterm and full-term (aged 18-52 years). Perinatal data were carefully assessed for risk factors and comprehensive ophthalmological examinations were conducted. The association between strabismus and nystagmus was assessed by analysing 16 different perinatal and actual risk factors in multivariable analysis. Participants were grouped into full-term controls (gestational age (GA) at birth ≥37 weeks), preterm participants without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and GA 33-36 weeks (group 2), GA 29-32 weeks (group 3), GA ≤28 weeks (group 4), non-treated ROP (group 5) and treated ROP (group 6)., Results: In total, 892 eyes of 450 preterm and full-term individuals (mean age: 28.6 years, SD: ± 8.6 years, 251 females) were included. Strabismus was observed in 2.1% (3/140), 6.6% (9/137), 17.4% (16/92), 11.1% (2/18), 27.1% (13/48) and 60% (9/15) of participants and nystagmus in 0.7% (1/140), 1.5% (2/137), 4.3% (4/92), 5.6% (1/18), 10.4% (5/48) and 26.7% (4/15) of participants in the respective groups. In the multivariable regression model, strabismus was associated with GA (OR=0.90; p=0.046), anisometropia ≥1.5 diopter (OR=3.87; p=0.003), hypermetropia ≥2 diopter (OR=9.89; p<0.001) and astigmatism ≥1.5 diopter (OR=2.73; p=0.017). Esotropia was more frequent than exotropia and hypermetropia/hypometropia. Most strabismus cases occurred within the first 10 years of life. The strongest predictor associated with nystagmus was perinatal adverse events (OR=15.8; p=0.002)., Conclusion: Low GA and refraction of the eye are independent risk factors for strabismus, which typically occurs in the first 10 years of life. Perinatal adverse events are the most important factors for the presence of nystagmus in adulthood., Competing Interests: Competing interests: NP receives financial support and grants from Novartis, Ivantis, Santen, Thea, Boehringer Ingelheim Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Alcon and Sanoculis. AKS receives research support from Allergan, Bayer, Heidelberg Engineering, PlusOptix and Novartis., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Purpose: To examine potential changes in the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) during adulthood due to prematurity and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), as assessed by measurements of the FAZ area and circularity., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study is a retrospective German cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination of adults aged 18 years to 52 years, born either preterm or full-term, using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography. Participants were categorized into groups based on gestational age and postnatal ROP status. The study conducted multivariable linear regression analyses to explore associations with the FAZ., Results: The study cohort comprised 380 right eyes from individuals born both preterm and full-term, with an average age of 28.4 years ± 8.6 years, including 214 women. The FAZ area decreased as gestational age decreased: FAZ was 0.28 mm 2 ± 0.12 mm 2 in the control group, 0.21 ± 0.10 mm 2 at GA 33 weeks to 36 weeks, 0.18 mm 2 ± 0.10 mm 2 at GA 29 weeks to 32 weeks, 0.11 mm 2 ± 0.10 mm 2 at GA ≤28 weeks, 0.11 mm 2 ± 0.10 mm 2 in ROP without treatment, and 0.11 mm 2 ± 0.10 mm 2 in those requiring ROP treatment. In the multivariable analyses, smaller FAZ was independently associated with gestational age ( P < 0.05), increased foveal retinal thickness ( P < 0.05), and foveal hypoplasia ( P < 0.05). Moreover, no association was seen between visual acuity and FAZ., Conclusion: The main perinatal factor associated with a smaller FAZ in this German cohort is preterm birth, while ROP, ROP treatment, or other perinatal factors do not affect FAZ observed in adulthood. A smaller FAZ shape in preterm individuals might be an indicator of foveal hypoplasia.

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of prematurity and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) as well as the associations of the ocular geometry with macular curvature in adults., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study is a retrospective cohort study of preterm and full-term participants aged 18 to 52 years with a prospective ophthalmologic examination. The main outcome measure was the macular curvature in the central foveal optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan and its associations with gestational age (GA), birth weight and birth weight percentile, ROP occurrence, ROP treatment, and other perinatal factors were evaluated in univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses. Furthermore, a second model assessed the association of ocular geometry with macular curvature., Results: In the present study, 550 eyes of 284 adults born preterm and 277 eyes of 139 adults born full-term were examined (aged = 28.7 ± 8.7 years, 240 female subjects). In multivariable analyses for perinatal parameters, ROP treatment (B = -52.44, P = 0.023) and maternal smoking during pregnancy (B = 26.41, P = 0.019) showed an association with macular curvature. Regarding ocular geometric parameters, posterior segment length (B = 9.07, P < 0.001) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (B = -0.26, P < 0.001) were associated with macular curvature, central corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and foveal retinal thickness were not associated., Conclusions: Adults treated for ROP had relatively more negative curvature values compared to the full-term group, indicating a macular protrusion toward the vitreous cave. A thicker subfoveal choroidal thickness was associated with a flatter macular curvature, whereas a longer posterior segment length was associated with a steeper macular curvature indicating the characteristics of the myopic elongation of the eye.

Background/aims: To evaluate whether anterior segment anatomy and axial length are associated with prematurity and perinatal factors in adults., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study examined adults born preterm and term aged 18-52 years. All participants underwent a prospective ophthalmic examination (optical biometry via a LenStar 900, Haag-Streit) in Germany. The associations between gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW) and BW percentile, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) occurrence, ROP treatment and other perinatal factors with the main outcome measures were evaluated by univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses. Main outcome measures were corneal radius, white-to-white distance, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness and axial length., Results: The study involved 861 eyes of 438 preterm and full-term individuals (aged 28.6±8.7 years, 245 females,). After adjustment for age and gender, a steeper corneal radius was associated with lower GA (B=0.02; p<0.001) and a lower BW percentile (B=0.003; p<0.001). A smaller white-to-white distance was linked to lower GA (B=0.02; p<0.001), a lower BW percentile (B=0.004; p<0.001) and postnatal ROP occurrence (B=-0.26; p<0.001). Decreased axial length was associated with lower GA at birth (B=0.05; p=0.002) and pre-eclampsia (B=-0.34; p=0.015). ROP-treated eyes had a shallower anterior chamber depth (B=-0.63; p=0.001) and increased lens thickness (B=0.64, p<0.001)., Conclusion: Our analyses in adults demonstrate that the corneal morphology is influenced by GA and BW percentile, while the anterior chamber depth and lens thickness are affected by ROP treatment, namely laser therapy and cryotherapy. The present study highlights that perinatal factors lead to lifelong sequelae of ocular shape., Competing Interests: Competing interests: AKS holds the professorship for ophthalmic healthcare research endowed by ‘Stiftung Auge’ and financed by ‘Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft’ and ‘Berufsverband der Augenärzte Deutschlands e.V’. Pfeiffer N receives financial support and grants from Novartis, Ivantis, Santen, Thea, Boehringer Ingelheim Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Alcon, and Sanoculis. Schuster AK receives research support from Allergan, Bayer, Heidelberg Engineering, PlusOptix and Norvartis., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of prematurity and ROP on visual acuity and VRQoL in adults (18-52 years)., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination. Preterm and full-term participants at an age from 18 to 52 years were included. Distant corrected visual acuity (DCVA) and VRQoL were assessed in participants (892 eyes of 450 individuals aged 28.6 ± 8.6 years, 251 females) grouped into full-term controls (gestational age [GA] at birth ≥37 weeks), preterm participants without ROP and GA 33-36 weeks (group 2), GA 29-32 weeks (group 3), GA ≤ 28 weeks (group 4), non-treated ROP (group 5) and treated ROP (group 6). Main outcome measures were distant corrected visual acuity (DCVA), VRQoL and prevalence of amblyopia., Results: The DCVA of the better eye correlated (p < 0.001) with GA, birth weight, ROP, ROP treatment, and perinatal adverse events and was poorer in both ROP groups. Visual acuity of <20/200 in the better eye was observed in two participants (4.2%) in the ROP group and one person (6.7%) in the treated ROP group. The prevalence of amblyopia increased in the ROP groups. Compared to full-term controls, visual functioning VRQoL scores were lower in preterm individuals independent of ROP while socioemotional VRQoL scores were only lower in the treated ROP group., Conclusion: Participants with postnatal ROP and its treatment showed decreased visual acuity and VRQol in adulthood, with amblyopia occurring more frequently in more preterm participants with ROP., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Premature birth and the postnatal occurrence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are the main risk factors for reduced visual acuity and blindness in childhood and adolescence accompanied by numerous morphological ocular changes., Objective: It can be assumed that these alterations persist throughout life and could represent a potential risk factor for ocular diseases, although little is known to date about the long-term effects of prematurity on ocular function and morphology in adulthood., Methods: The aim of the present study is to review the literature on the long-term effects of prematurity and associated factors., Results: Individuals born preterm exhibit reduced visual acuity, lower visual quality of life, and steeper corneal configuration in adulthood. Furthermore, individuals with advanced ROP and need for ROP treatment are at particularly high risk for myopic refractive error, the occurrence of strabismus, and increased lens opacities with thicker lenses. Low gestational age is associated with thinner peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness as well as thicker foveal retinal thickness and more frequent occurrence of foveal hypoplasia. In addition, data from the Gutenberg Health Study showed that low birth weight as a surrogate marker for prematurity and fetal growth restriction are associated with an increased prevalence of age-related macular degeneration as well as more frequently with diabetes and consequently diabetic retinopathy., Discussion: Premature birth and associated factors lead to life-long functional and morphological ocular changes. There is evidence that this can lead to retinal diseases later in life and thus, there appear to be fetal origins for adult eye disease. This may have implications for ophthalmic controls and its intervals in adulthood., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Background: Preterm infants are at risk of characteristic, sometimes life-threatening diseases and development of deficits related to immaturity. In the field of ophthalmology, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and vision impairment reflect structural and functional disturbances in this large group of patients. In high income countries, more and more very immature preterm infants survive into adolescence and adulthood., Objective: To characterize the impact of an increasing number of surviving individuals born preterm on the provision of ophthalmological care in Germany., Material and Methods: A literature search and analysis of key figures and quality indicators published in national health registers were carried out., Results: Currently, about 60,000 preterm infants are born in Germany every year. Of these, approximately 3600 extremely immature preterm infants with a gestational age < 28 weeks are treated with a curative approach on neonatal units. The survival rate is around 80%. A rise in the proportion of infants suffering from severe ROP has not been observed in recent years in Germany. The incidences of other structural and functional visual impairments vary between 3% and 25% in high income countries., Conclusion: The incidence of ROP apparently has not increased in Germany. However, specific peculiarities of the structure and function of the visual system of individuals born preterm have to be taken into account. Approximately 70,000 outpatient check-ups of infants and toddlers, who require both, ophthalmological and developmental neurological expertise, are estimated for Germany each year., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Background: Prematurity and the presence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) increase the risk for the occurrence of amblyogenic risk factors in childhood and adolescence., Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate ocular morbidities and the ophthalmological care of former preterm and full-term persons in adulthood., Material and Methods: The Gutenberg prematurity eye study (GPES) is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmological examination of individuals formerly born preterm and full term between 1969 and 2002 (now aged 18-52 years). All participants underwent a detailed ophthalmological examination and were asked about the frequency of ophthalmological care. Participants were grouped into those with normal gestational age (GA) ≥ 37 weeks (control group), preterm individuals without ROP and GA 33-36 weeks (group 2), GA 29-32 weeks (group 3), GA ≤ 28 weeks (group 4), and those with ROP without treatment (group 5) and with ROP with treatment (group 6). All participants were asked if they had an ophthalmological examination within the last 12 months., Results: In total, data from 140 term and 310 preterm adults were included in the present study. Strabismus was present in 2.1 % (3/140), 6.6 % (9/137), 17.4 % (16/92), 11.1 % (2/18), 27.1 % (13/48) and 60 % (9/15) in groups 1-6, respectively. The proportion of subjects with an ophthalmological examination within the last 12 months was highest in the groups of extremely preterm persons with and without ROP compared with the control group. Overall, 33.3 % (1/3) of the term and 57.1 % (28/49) of the preterm subjects with strabismus and 0 % (0/3) of the term and 46.9 % (15/32) of the preterm individuals with amblyopia had an ophthalmological examination within the past 12 months., Discussion: Extremely preterm adults with and without postnatal ROP showed the highest rate of eye diseases as well as the highest rate of ophthalmological check-ups within the last 12 months. This suggests that extremely preterm adults particularly with the occurrence of postnatal ROP perceive more frequent ophthalmological check-ups throughout their lives., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Prematurity, prenatal growth restriction, and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are associated with altered ocular geometry, such as a steeper corneal shape in childhood, but it is unclear whether perinatal history affects corneal thickness development, so this study investigated whether corneal thickness in adulthood is affected by perinatal history., Marterials and Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination in Germany. The corneal thickness was measured by Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam HR, Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany), and the relationship between perinatal parameters respective birth weight percentile and corneal thickness at different locations was assessed using uni- and multivariable linear regression models. Covariates included age, sex, mean corneal radius, white-to-white distance, gestational age, birth weight percentile, ROP occurrence, and treatment. The main outcome measures were corneal thickness at the apex, the pupil center, and the corneal periphery., Results: The corneal thickness was measured in 390 participants (754 eyes, mean age 29.7+/-8.7 years, 224 females). In multivariable analyses, a lower birth weight percentile was associated with a lower corneal thickness at the apex (B = 0.20, p = 0.003) and the pupil (B = 0.19, p = 0.007). These effects diminished towards the corneal periphery and were not observed beyond the 4-mm diameter circle around the thinnest corneal position. Neither gestational age, ROP occurrence, or ROP treatment affected the corneal thickness., Conclusion: A lower birth weight percentile in subjects born preterm as a proxy for restricted fetal growth is associated with corneal thickness thinning in adults aged 18 to 52 years, indicating that corneal thickness development, particularly in the corneal center, may originate in the fetal stage., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The author reports no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ophthalmologic care in childhood and adolescence of infants born preterm and full-term from the retrospective point of view of their parents., Methodology: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination of persons born preterm and full-term between 1969 and 2002 (now aged 18 to 52 years), and asks their parents about the ophthalmologic care received by their children in childhood and adolescence from their retrospective perspective. Participants and their parents were grouped into those with normal gestational age (GA) ≥ 37 (control group), preterm born infants without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and gestational age (GA) 33 - 36 (group 2), GA 29 - 32 (group 3), GA ≤ 28 weeks (group 4), and those with ROP without treatment (group 5) and with ROP with treatment (group 6). Parents of participants were interviewed about the ophthalmic care received by their children., Results: In total, data from 57 full-term and 131 preterm infants and their parents were included in the present study. The parents of the participants reported that ophthalmologic examination had taken place until 6 years of age in the respective groups 1 to 6 in 22/57 (38.6%), 33/58 (56.9%), 22/38 (57.9%), 3/6 (50%), 19/21 (90.5%), and 7/8 (87.5%). Overall, between 83% and 100% of parents in the different groups reported that ophthalmologic care had been adequate. A change of ophthalmologist due to dissatisfaction with treatment was reported by a total of 4/57 (7%), 9/58 (15.5%), 8/38 (21.1%), 1/6 (16.7%), 1/21 (4.8%) and 2/8 (25%) in the respective groups., Discussion: The present study demonstrates adequate satisfaction and good treatment regarding ophthalmologic care of former preterm children from the parents' perspective. Especially parents of children with ROP rated the treatment positively., Competing Interests: Norbert Pfeiffer erhält finanzielle Unterstützung und Zuschüsse von Novartis, Ivantis, Santen, Thea, Boehringer Ingelheim Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Alcon und Sanoculis. Alexander K. Schuster erhält Forschungsunterstützung von Allergan, Bayer, Heidelberg Engineering, PlusOptix und Norvartis. Die Autoren erklären, dass sie keinen Interessenkonflikt haben./Norbert Pfeiffer receives financial support and grants from Novartis, Ivantis, Santen, Thea, Boehringer Ingelheim Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Alcon, and Sanoculis. Alexander K. Schuster receives research support from Allergan, Bayer, Heidelberg Engineering, PlusOptix, and Norvartis. The authors hereby declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study investigated whether prematurity and associated factors or prenatal growth restriction have long-term effects on the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) in adulthood., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination in Germany. Selected individuals born term and preterm (age 18-52 years) were examined with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in adulthood, and perinatal medical charts were reviewed. The pRNFL thickness was measured using SD-OCT. Univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate associations between pRNFL and gestational age (GA; categorical), birth weight percentile (categorical), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) occurrence, and treatment and other perinatal parameters with adjustment for age, sex, and spherical equivalent., Results: In total, 766 eyes of 406 preterm and full-term individuals were included (mean age 28.4 ± 8.6 years, 228 females). After adjustment for age, sex, and spherical equivalent, global pRNFL thinning was associated with moderate (GA = 33-36 wk, β = -4.68, P < .001), very (GA = 29-32 wk, β = -5.72, P < .001), and extreme (GA ≤ 28 wk, β = -8.69, P < .001) prematurity but not with low birth weight percentile (<25th percentile, P = .9) and ROP occurrence (P = .9) in multivariable analysis. ROP treatment was associated with increased pRNFL in the temporal sector (P = .002). Maternal smoking during pregnancy showed an association with pRNFL thinning (P = .07)., Conclusion: Our data indicate that the more preterm individuals are born the more pRNFL thinning occurs, whereas prenatal growth restriction and postnatal occurrence of ROP show less effects on pRNFL thickness. Furthermore, individuals with severe ROP with treatment but not lower ROP stages without treatment showed an increased temporal pRNFL thickness., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Prematurity and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are associated with altered corneal shape and reduced visual acuity in childhood, but their long-term effects on corneal shape in later life are still unclear. This study evaluated whether prematurity and related perinatal factors are associated with corneal aberrations in adulthood., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a cohort study using Scheimpflug imaging of the cornea. Associations were assessed between corneal Zernike aberrations and gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW), BW percentile, ROP occurrence, ROP treatment and other perinatal factors using univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses., Results: This study involved 444 eyes of 256 individuals born preterm (aged 28.1 ± 8.4 years, 146 females) and 231 eyes of 132 individuals born full-term (aged 29.8 ± 8.9 years, 77 females). Multivariable analyses revealed an association between corneal higher-order aberrations and lower birth weight percentile (B = -0.001, p < 0.001) as well as ROP treatment (B = 0.120, p = 0.03). Corneal lower-order aberrations were also associated with lower birth weight percentile (B = -0.004; p = 0.001) and ROP treatment (B = 0.838, p = 0.01) but not with ROP occurrence. Increased corneal aberrations were correlated with lower visual acuity and the spherical equivalent refractive error., Conclusions: Perinatal factors, particularly low birth weight percentile and ROP treatment lead to a more irregular corneal shape in adulthood, thereby reducing optical image quality and potentially contributing to reduced visual acuity and altered refractive error., (© 2022 The Authors. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of College of Optometrists.)

Purpose: The present study investigated the long-lasting effect of prematurity, prenatal growth restriction, and associated factors on foveal and peripapillary choroidal thickness in adulthood., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination in Germany. Foveal and peripapillary choroidal thicknesses were measured at different sectors using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to determine associations among gestational age, birth weight percentile, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) occurrence and treatment, and other perinatal factors, such as maternal smoking and others with foveal and global peripapillary choroidal thickness., Results: A total of 735 eyes of 408 study participants were included (age = 28.4 ± 8.6 years, 229 women). Multivariable regression analyses revealed that foveal choroidal thinning was associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy (B = -38.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -65.5 to -10.7, P = 0.006), whereas other perinatal factors revealed no association. Global peripapillary choroidal thinning showed a trend to a lower birth weight percentile (B = 0.22, 95% CI = -0.01 to 0.45, P = 0.057). No correlation was observed between foveal and peripapillary choroidal thicknesses with visual acuity., Conclusions: This study indicates that maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy has adverse long-lasting effects on choroidal development in the fovea and low birth weight percentile as a surrogate marker for adverse perinatal growth might be linked with peripapillary choroidal thinning whereas prematurity showed no long-term effects., Translational Relevance: Altered choroidal layer development caused by perinatal influence factors might be a risk factor for reduced visual function and predispose affected individuals to eye diseases in later life.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate associations of prematurity and associated factors with optic disc morphology in adulthood as long-term effects., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination of adults (age 18-52 years) in Germany. In every participant, photography of optic discs was performed with a nonmydriatic fundus camera, and optic disc measurements were done manually. The vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR), optic disc area, and torted and tilted discs were assessed and exploratively compared between individuals with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with treatment, an ROP group without treatment and groups of individuals of different gestational ages (GAs) without ROP (GA ≤ 28 weeks, GA 29-32 weeks, GA 33-36 weeks, and GA ≥ 37 weeks [control group])., Results: The present analysis included 743 eyes of 393 individuals born preterm and full-term (aged 28.4 ± 8.6 years, 223 females). The VCDR was significantly larger in subjects with a GA ≤28 weeks without ROP compared to the full-term control group (GA ≥37 weeks) (P = .002). Subjects with ROP without treatment also had a larger VCDR (P = .001), whereas those with ROP treatment showed a smaller VCDR than the full-term control group (P = .02). In addition, individuals with ROP treatment were more likely to have a torted disc than the full-term control group (P = .006)., Conclusion: The present study provides evidence that individuals born extremely preterm have increased VCDR in adulthood. Furthermore, these results indicate that fetal origins affect optic disc morphology until adulthood, which might predispose the affected individual to degenerative optic nerve head diseases or being incorrectly diagnosed to glaucoma., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

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Background/Aims: This study aimed to analyze the effects of perinatal history on tear film properties and lid geometry in adults born preterm. Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a German prospective examination of adults born preterm and term aged 18 to 52 years with Keratograph® 5M and Schirmer test I. Main outcome measures were first non-invasive tear film break-up time (F-NITBUT), bulbar redness (BR), Schirmer test, and nasal palpebral angle measurement. The associations with gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW), and BW percentile, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), ROP treatment, and other perinatal factors were evaluated using regression analyses. Results: 489 eyes of 255 preterm and 277 eyes of 139 full-term individuals (aged 28.6 +/− 8.8 years, 220 females) were included. Of these, 33 participants (56 eyes) had a history of spontaneously regressed ROP and 9 participants (16 eyes) had a history of ROP treatment. After adjustment for age and sex, lower F-NITBUT (<20 s) was associated with ROP treatment (OR = 4.42; p = 0.025). Lower GA correlated with increased bulbar redness (B = −0.02; p = 0.011) and increased length of wetting in the Schirmer test (B = −0.69; p = 0.003). Furthermore, low GA was associated with narrowing of the nasal palpebral angle (B = 0.22; p = 0.011) adjusted for age and sex, but not when considering ROP in the multivariable model. Conclusion: Our analyses indicate that perinatal history affects ocular surface properties, tear production and lid geometry in adults born term and preterm. This might indicate that affected persons have a predisposition to diseases of the corneal surface such as the dry eye disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine whether prematurity and associated factors affect the anterior chamber angle (ACA) width in adulthood. Methods: The Gutenberg Prematurity Eye Study (GPES) is a retrospective cohort study with a prospective ophthalmologic examination of adults (age 18–52 years) in Germany. All participants were examined with Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam HR, Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany) using linear regression analysis to assess the associations of ACA in the different sectors with gestational age (GA), birth weight, birth weight percentile, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), ROP treatment, placental insufficiency, preeclampsia, and breastfeeding. Results: In total, 516 eyes of 319 preterm and full-term individuals (aged 28.9 ± 8.8 years, 188 females) were examined. ROP treatment was associated with smaller ACA width in the nasal (B = −9.6 [95%CI: −14.7; −4.5] degree; p < 0.001) and temporal positions (B = −11.5 [95%CI: −17.7; −5.3] degree; p = 0.001), whereas non-treated individuals with ROP had an unaltered ACA width, as did individuals with low gestational age without ROP. Conclusion: Advanced stages of ROP following treatment with laser- and cryocoagulation lead to a smaller ACA width until adulthood, and hence may increase the risk of angle closure in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]