Pre-term delivery and subsequent ocular development. A 7-10 year follow-up of children screened 1982-84 for ROP. 2) Binocular function.

Binocular function was assessed as part of a more extensive examining programme in 88 children now aged 7-10 years. Initially they joined a regional screening programme for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) after pre-term delivery 1982-84; their mean values for gestational age and birth weight were 31 weeks and 1467 g, respectively. Binocularity was evaluated from cover test 6 m and 30 cm, Schober, Worth four dot, and Titmus stereo test. Excluding the four children with bilateral blindness due to ROP, 84 subjects were available, but occasional refusals were met also here. The overall frequency of 'strabismus' became 17.8%, as based on the combination of tests, and with emphasis on the sensory recordings. Binocularity patterns in subsamples were not significantly influenced by a) regressed ROP, b) gestational age 30 weeks and less. In contrast, c) the subgroup with severe CNS damage (n = 24) appeared more deviant, confirming the established association between brain damage and strabismus.