Motor outcomes and visual function in adults born preterm with very low birthweight

Abstract

In this study of two birth cohorts from Finland and Norway, we examined motor outcomes and visual function in adults born preterm (before 37 weeks of gestation) with very low birthweight (VLBW; birthweight equal to or below 1500g) compared with term-born controls of normal birthweight. Previous studies have shown that individuals born with VLBW have higher prevalence of motor difficulties and poorer motor abilities compared with controls. Furthermore, they have poorer visual function, including visual acuity (or sharpness of vision). Since vision plays a key role in motor control, we examined whether visual acuity might explain the poorer motor outcomes in adulthood.

We assessed motor outcomes and visual function in 118 adults born with VLBW and 147 controls at a mean age of 36 years. Motor outcomes were assessed by using five standardized motor tests. Visual acuity was assessed using the criterion standard. We used motor difficulties (based on clinical cut-offs) and motor abilities (based on continuous scores) as outcome variables with visual acuity as a potential explanatory variable. We found that the adults born preterm with VLBW had more overall, fine, and gross motor difficulties compared with the controls. Furthermore, visual acuity explained part of the link between being born with VLBW and having fine motor difficulties as well as poorer continuous overall, fine, and gross motor scores.