Abstract
Objective To define the incidence of ophthalmologic morbidities in the first 2 years of life
among infants diagnosed with stage 2 or higher retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Study Design We prospectively enrolled premature infants with stage 2 or higher ROP. The infants
were followed up for 2 years, and we report on data collected from outpatient ophthalmology
and primary care visits.
Results We enrolled 323 infants who met inclusion criteria, of which 112 (35%) received treatment
with laser surgery (90) or bevacizumab (22). Two-year follow-up was available for
292 (90%) of the cohort. The most common ophthalmologic conditions at follow-up were
hyperopia (35%), astigmatism (30%), strabismus (21.9%), myopia (19.2%), anisometropia
(12%), and amblyopia (12%). Severe ophthalmologic morbidities such as retinal detachment
and cataracts were rare, but occurred in both treated and untreated infants. Overall,
22.6% of the infants were wearing glasses at 2 years, including 8.5% of the untreated
infants.
Conclusion Patients with stage 2 or higher ROP remain at significant risk for ophthalmological
morbidity through 2 years of age. Infants with regression of subthreshold ROP who
do not require treatment represent an underrecognized population at long-term ophthalmological
risk.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01559571.
Keywords
retinopathy of prematurity - outcomes - premature infants - preterm infants
