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Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate how well the virtual psychophysical measures of spatial hearing from the preliminary auditory profile predict self-reported spatial-hearing abilities., Design: Virtual spatial-hearings tests (conducted unaided, via headphones) and a questionnaire were administered in five centres in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK. Correlations and stepwise linear regression models were calculated among a group of hearing-impaired listeners., Study Sample: Thirty normal-hearing listeners aged 19-39 years, and 72 hearing-impaired listeners aged 22-91 years with a broad range of hearing losses, including asymmetrical and mixed hearing losses., Results: Several significant correlations (between 0.24 and 0.54) were found between results of virtual psychophysical spatial-hearing tests and self-reported localization abilities. Stepwise linear regression analyses showed that the minimum audible angle (MAA) test was a significant predictor for self-reported localization abilities (5% extra explained variance), and the spatial speech reception threshold (SRT) benefit test for self-reported listening to speech in spatial situations (6% extra explained variance)., Conclusions: The MAA test and spatial SRT benefit test are indicative measures of everyday binaural functioning. The binaural SRT benefit test was not found to predict self-reported spatial-hearing abilities.

Aim: To investigate the ophthalmological outcome of very preterm children at 2.5 years corrected age (CA) and perform a test of visuospatial and cognitive abilities., Methods: A population-based, prospective study (LOVIS study) in Uppsala County, Sweden, comprised 111 very preterm children (<32 w gestational age [GA]) born between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2007. Ophthalmic evaluations were undertaken in 98/109 children (89.9%) alive at 2.5 years. Spatial cognition was investigated with a test of five alternative blocks in 48 preterm and 25 term-born children., Results: Visual impairment, strabismus or refractive errors, were found in 12% of the children. None of the children were blind in both eyes. Logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations between strabismus and periventricular leucomalacia/intraventricular haemorrhage (OR 9.6, p = 0.025) and between refractive errors and severe retinopathy of prematurity (OR 9.8, p = 0.011) and GA (OR 0.763, p = 0.034). Oval and rectangular blocks were significantly more difficult to insert into a box for preterm than full-term children (p = 0.048 and 0.013, respectively). There was a significant correlation between total scores for the five blocks and GA at birth (p = 0.035)., Conclusion: Eye and visual problems were found in 12% of the preterm children at 30 months CA. Preterm children had difficulties with blocks of complex shapes., (©2013 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)