Retinopathy Of Prematurity

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is retinopathy of prematurity?

• Retinopathy (ret-i-NOP-ah-thee) of prematurity is also called retrolental fibroplasia, or ROP. ROP is an eye disease affecting the retina of premature babies or low birth weight babies. The retina is the part of the eye that captures light and sends information to the brain.
  
  
• A full term pregnancy is 38 to 42 weeks. During this time period, a baby's body, including the eyes, are developing. When a baby is born before 37 weeks, his eye development stops. With ROP, blood vessels grow abnormally in the retina and can leak. This causes scarring and possible detachment of the retina. Babies with ROP may have vision problems later in life.

What causes ROP? ROP is caused by a problem with the development of blood vessels at the back of the retina. Because the retina does not finish developing in premature infants, the infant's body reacts by making more blood vessels in the retina. New blood vessels grow and spread beyond where they should be. These blood vessels later push the retina away from its position at the back of the eye.

What are the signs and symptoms of ROP? Signs of ROP are seen using an ophthalmoscope. Caregivers use this device to see abnormal blood vessels at the back of the eye. Your child may have any of the following symptoms later in life:

• Blurred vision.
  
  
• Seeing floaters, which may appear as spots, cobwebs, strings, or specks when looking at something.
  
  
• Seeing light flashes.
  
  
• Blindness.

How is ROP diagnosed? Babies born before 28 weeks or having a birth weight of 3.3 pounds to 4.4 pounds should be checked for ROP. Babies born after 35 weeks but who received oxygen should also be checked. A small device is used to look into your baby's eyes for growing or spreading abnormal blood vessels. These changes may range from mild (stage 1) to a retinal detachment (stage 5). A retinal detachment is a separation of the retinal tissue from inside the wall of the eye.

How is ROP treated? Your baby may have any of the following:

• Steroids: Steroid medicine may be given to decrease inflammation, which is redness, pain, and swelling.
  
  
• Surgery: Your baby may need surgery if he has medium to severe changes in his retina.

Where can I find support and more information? Having a baby with ROP may be life-changing for you and your family. Accepting that your baby has ROP is hard. You and those close to you may feel sad or worried. These feelings are normal. Talk to your baby's caregiver about how to help your baby. Contact the following for more information:

• American Academy of Ophthalmology
  7424
  San Francisco, CA 941207424
  Phone: 1-415-5618500
  Web Address: http://www.aao.org/
  

• National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health
  202 Vision Pl.
  Bethesda, MD 20892-3655
  Phone: 1-301-496-5248
  Web Address: www.nei.nih.gov
  

• American Academy of Pediatrics
  141 Northwest Point Boulevard
  Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1098
  Phone: 1-847-434-4000
  Web Address: http://www.aap.org
  

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your baby's care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your baby's health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your baby's caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat your baby.

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