Preterm babies given a supplement with a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have better visual function by the age of two and a half. This has been shown by a study at the University of Gothenburg.
). Neither AA nor DHA are included in the supplements that are currently routinely given to extremely preterm babies immediately after birth.
The researchers have previously found that the combination supplement led to the risk of contracting the sight-threatening eye disease ROP being halved. The current study looks at children's visual development at two and a half years of corrected age .The study's first author is Pia Lundgren, an associate professor in pediatric eye research at the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy and a chief physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
"The study shows that children who have received the combination supplement had improved visual function, regardless of whether or not they had previously had ROP," she notes."The improved visual development was thus not only due to the beneficial effect on the retina. The supplement also seems to have improved the brain's ability to interpret visual impressions."
The issue of nutrition and supplementation for extremely preterm babies is a highly topical issue within neonatal care in many parts of the world. Sweden currently lacks precise guidelines for administering fatty acid supplements to extremely preterm children, but the guidelines are now being revised—partly on the basis of the current findings.
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