Functional vision and cognition in infants with congenital disorders of the peripheral visual system

Aim To investigate how vision relates to early development by studying vision and cognition in a national cohort of 1‐year‐old infants with congenital disorders of the peripheral visual system and visual impairment. Method This was a cross‐sectional observational investigation of a nationally recruited cohort of infants with ‘simple’ and ‘complex’ congenital disorders of the peripheral visual system. Entry age was 8 to 16 months. Vision level (Near Detection Scale) and non‐verbal cognition (sensorimotor understanding, Reynell Zinkin Scales) were assessed. Parents completed demographic questionnaires. Results Of 90 infants (49 males, 41 females; mean 13mo, standard deviation [SD] 2.5mo; range 7–17mo); 25 (28%) had profound visual impairment (light perception at best) and 65 (72%) had severe visual impairment (basic ‘form’ vision). The Near Detection Scale correlated significantly with sensorimotor understanding developmental quotients in the ‘total’, ‘simple’, and ‘complex’ groups (all p