Light and the immature visual system.

Preterm neonates are cared for in an environment which is continuously and brightly lit, and is very different to that experienced at any other time of life. The amount of light reaching the neonatal eye is governed by two groups of factors. Physical factors include intensity, spectral characteristics and duration of light exposure. Physiological factors are: Frequency of eyelid opening, transmission of light through the closed eyelid, pupil reactivity and area, transmission by the ocular tissues and retinal surface area. Retinal irradiance declines with increasing postmenstrual age. Mechanisms by which light may affect the neonatal eye and clinical conditions in which light have been implicated are considered.