Retinopathy of Prematurity
For Parents, Caregivers, and Healthcare Professionals
Retinopathy of Prematurity
For Parents, Caregivers, and Healthcare Professionals
About ROP
What is ROP?
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a disease that affects the blood vessels in the retina. The retina is the back part of the eye that helps us to see. When a baby is born prematurely, the blood vessels in the eye have not finished growing. In ROP, the eye grows new blood vessels the wrong way. These vessels can damage the retina and cause blindness.
What can I do?
It is VERY IMPORTANT to get your baby’s eyes checked regularly by an eye doctor. Their eyes must be checked both at the hospital and after they leave. If your child has ROP, it may not be cured by the time they leave the hospital. Your doctor will tell you when to bring your child back for eye exams. It is VERY IMPORTANT to keep these appointments. Get your baby’s eyes checked on time or the ROP can become worse and cause blindness.
How do I know if my child has ROP?
The eye doctor must look at the baby’s eyes to tell whether or not they have ROP. The doctor will look at the blood vessels in the retina. He or she will describe the vessels using Zones and Stages. The zone tells you the part of the eye where the vessels have stopped growing. The stage explains how severe the ROP is. Plus Disease is when the vessels also look large and twisted. Doctors decide if your baby needs ROP treatment based on the zone, stage, and if they have plus disease.
What are the risks of ROP?
About half of low birthweight babies in the US will develop ROP. In about 9 out of 10 cases of ROP, the baby’s eyes will get better without treatment. In some cases, the baby needs treatment to stop damage to the retina. WITHOUT TREATMENT, THE BABY CAN GO BLIND.
There are other eye problems that can happen in premature babies. Eye exams check for these issues. These problems include:
Lazy eye • Crossed eye • Need for glasses
Treatments for ROP
If the eye doctor decides that your baby needs treatment, there are two choices.
- The doctor can do a surgery with a laser. The part of the retina without blood vessels gets laser treatment. It stops vessels that are not normal from growing. This is the most common treatment and works very well.
- The eye doctor can put a medicine into the eye. This medicine stops the new vessels that are not growing normally.