Effect of natural deprivation and unilateral eye patching on visual acuity of infants and children. Evoked potential measurements
J. V. Odom, C. S. Hoyt and E. Marg
Evoked potential measurements of visual acuity were made on four children
aged from 5 months to 8 years. They were deprived of normal visual
stimulation by various disorders: unilateral aphakia from a congenital
cataract, vitreous hemorrhage, polar cataract, and esotropia. In the two
younger children, aged 5 and 15 months, respectively, the visual acuity
improved when the eye had good optical imagery and declined with poor or no
imagery. Reversal of the imagery to the contralateral eyes again brought
large changes in opposite directions. In the two older children, aged 4 and
8 years, respectively, there were marked decreases in acuity in the patched
eye, but little or no change in the unpatched eye. It is not know whether
these differences are due to age or to the original kind of visual
disorder, such as deprivation, occlusion, or strabismus, or are merely
individual differences. It is clear, however, that some children exhibit
large changes in acuity in response to visual deprivation or patching, or
to its removal, in a readily reversible manner. Also, we have demonstrated
that visually evoked potential acuities may be obtained from pediatric,
clinical patients without regard to age, which may be useful in management
of the conditions.
