Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is an eye disease that affects premature babies. Babies who are born prior to 31 weeks or babies that are born weighing less than 1.36 kilograms are at the highest risk for developing this disorder. This disorder is characterized by abnormal blood vessel growth in the back of the baby’s eyes. This leads to blood vessel growth over the retina, which can lead to vision issues later in life.
There are no outward signs in a baby’s eye that you can see when they develop ROP. For this reason, babies that are born with the risk factors stated above must have routine eye exams by a trained eye doctor to look into the back of their eye (retina). Later in life, if a child had ROP, they may have symptoms of retinal damage including:
The main risk factor for developing retinopathy of prematurity is prematurity. Specifically, babies born at 31 weeks gestation or lower have an increased risk of developing this condition. The earlier the gestational week, the more at risk a child is at for developing ROP. Other risk factors include:
Retinopathy of Prematurity is caused by an overgrowth of immature blood vessels in the retina. Normally, the retina matures in utero in a very stable environment. If the baby is born prematurely before the retina is completely vascularized, then external factors such as excess oxygen, stress in the baby, and more can lead to over proliferation of blood vessels in the retina. These blood vessels are very fragile and often break and bleed, leading to scarring. This can lead to issues with vision later in life and even blindness.
The diagnosis of ROP must come from a trained eye doctor or eye specialist. There are five stages of severity that the eye doctor uses to determine further treatment options.
Babies with stages 3 through 5 of retinopathy of prematurity may require some form of treatment. There are multiple treatment options below.
Retinopathy of prematurity is a well-known and well-studied eye disease found in premature babies. Depending on its severity, it can resolve on its own, or require intensive surgeries. Even as babies grow older, they will need to follow with an eye doctor to ensure their vision is progressing well.