Visual function and white matter microstructure in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) adolescents – A DTI study

Premature birth is associated with visual impairments, due to both cerebral and ocular pathology. This study examined the relationship between cerebral white matter microstructure, evaluated by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and visual function, in 30 preterm born adolescents with very low birth weight (VLBW = birth weight ⩽ 1500 g) and an age-matched group of 45 term born controls. Visual acuity correlated positively with fractional anisotropy (FA) in corpus callosum and in frontal white matter areas in the VLBW participants, but not in the control participants. Callosal visual connections may play a more important role in the development of good visual acuity than previously acknowledged in preterm born children.

► We examined the relationship between visual function and white matter microstructure.
► Visual acuity correlated with fractional anisotropy (FA) in corpus callosum in preterm born adolescents.
► The correlation may be due to perinatal white matter injury related to preterm birth affecting connectivity.
► Callosal visual connections may play an important role in the development of good visual acuity.