Are premature newborns more likely to have a myopic or hyperopic refractive error?

• A. Myopic
• B. Hyperopic
• C. Emmetropic
• D. Astigmatic

Answer: (A)

Prematurity changes how the eye grows after birth, altering the usual path of refractive development. In healthy term newborns, hyperopia is common at birth and tends to lessen as the eye grows toward emmetropia. When birth is premature, especially in eyes affected by retinopathy of prematurity or its treatment, the posterior segment and overall ocular growth can shift toward myopia. This makes a myopic refractive error more likely in premature infants than hyperopic, compared with term infants. In other words, the premature group is at higher risk for myopia as they develop, whereas hyperopia is more typical of newborns who reach full term.