Last Updated: April 5, 2024
What is retinopathy of prematurity?
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an eye disorder that can affect premature infants and potentially lead to blindness. ROP usually occurs in both eyes.
With ROP, blood vessels grow and spread throughout the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye). If these blood vessels leak, this can scar the retina and pull it out of position, leading to retinal detachment. This detachment is the main cause of vision loss and blindness in babies with ROP.
What are risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity?
Around one out of every five babies born prematurely are at risk of developing ROP.1 The earlier a baby is born and the lower their birth weight, the greater their risk of developing ROP.2
As the eye begins to develop around 16 weeks into pregnancy, blood vessels start growing from the area of the optic nerve to the edges of the retina, providing oxygen and nutrients. By full-term birth, this growth is nearly complete. However, in premature babies, these blood vessels may not fully grow, leading to the formation of abnormal vessels. This can result in blood vessel leakage, scarring, and retinal detachment.
How is ROP treated?
Most cases of ROP resolve on their own without treatment. In more severe cases, ophthalmologists may treat ROP using:
- laser therapy,
- cryotherapy,
- anti-VEGF injections into the eye, or
- surgery.
What are the complications of ROP?
Infants with ROP are at higher risk of developing certain eye problems later in life, such as:
- retinal detachment,
- myopia (difficulty seeing at a distance),
- strabismus (crossed eyes),
- amblyopia (lazy eye), and
- glaucoma.
These conditions are easier to manage and treat if caught early. The CAO recommends bringing children in for their first comprehensive eye exam at about six to nine months of age, a second time at two to five years of age, and annually once they are school-aged. An optometrist will likely recommend more frequent eye exams to monitor sight-threatening complications for children with ROP.
Find an optometrist near you and make an appointment today to have your baby's eyes examined.
1 Yu, C. W., Popovic, M. M., Dhoot, A. S., Arjmand, P., Muni, R. H., Tehrani, N. N., ... & Kertes, P. J. (2022). Demographic risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity: a systematic review of population-based studies. Neonatology, 119(2), 151-163. Available from: https://karger.com/neo/article-pdf/119/2/151/3757346/000519635.pdf
2 Yu, C. W., Popovic, M. M., Dhoot, A. S., Arjmand, P., Muni, R. H., Tehrani, N. N., ... & Kertes, P. J. (2022). Demographic risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity: a systematic review of population-based studies. Neonatology, 119(2), 151-163. Available from: https://karger.com/neo/article-pdf/119/2/151/3757346/000519635.pdf
3 Quinn, G. E., Ying, G. S., Bell, E. F., Donohue, P. K., Morrison, D., Tomlinson, L. A., Binenbaum, G., & G-ROP Study Group (2018). Incidence and Early Course of Retinopathy of Prematurity: Secondary Analysis of the Postnatal Growth and Retinopathy of Prematurity (G-ROP) Study. JAMA Ophthalmology, 136(12), 1383–1389. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6583045/