Treatment and Management of Retinopathy of Prematurity

Primary Treatment Modalities

• This treatment has proven effective in reducing blindness from ROP, especially in high-risk populations 1

Critical Management Considerations

• Careful oxygen management is essential during the neovascularization and regression phases, with high arterial oxygen levels slowing normal vascularization, while marginally low oxygen aggravates neovascularization following initial injury 2
• Once past the age of oxygen-induced retinopathy risk, target oxygen saturation of 95% or higher is recommended to prevent pulmonary complications 3

Follow-up and Monitoring

• Infants whose vessels and/or ROP remain in zone I or zone II require ophthalmology visits every 1-2 weeks 1
• Infants with chronic lung disease of infancy are at higher risk and require careful coordination of follow-up 1
• Missing follow-up appointments can lead to missed treatment opportunities and preventable vision loss 1

Discontinuation of Treatment

• ROP that is regressing with vessels passed into zone III on at least two sequential examinations is extremely unlikely to progress to threshold 1
• Infants with ROP stage zero zone III do not require continued screening 4
• Complete retinal vascularization indicates screening can be discontinued 1