Premature babies can develop a condition of the retina called Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).
The retina is the inner lining of the eye that receives light and turns it into visual messages that are sent to the brain. If one thinks of the eye as being like a camera, the retina functions as the film. Blood vessels that supply the retina are one of the last structures of the eye to mature; they have barely completed growing when a full-term baby is born. This means that a premature infant’s retina is not yet completely developed. For reasons not yet fully understood, the blood vessels in the immature part of the retina may develop abnormally in some premature infants. This is called retinopathy of prematurity (abbreviated ROP).
When ROP develops, one of three things can happen:
- In most babies who develop ROP, the abnormal blood vessels will heal themselves completely, usually during the first year of life.
- In some babies, the abnormal blood vessels heal only partially. In these infants, nearsightedness, lazy eye, or a wandering eye may develop. Glasses may be required in early life. In some cases, a scar may be left in the retina, resulting in vision problems that are not entirely correctable with glasses.
- In the most severe cases, the abnormal blood vessels form scar tissue, which pulls the retina out of its normal position in the back of the eye (retinal detachment). This problem can result in a severe loss of vision or complete blindness. Fortunately, there are treatments to minimize severe vision loss. When the need for treatment is identified, it typically should occur within 72 hours. Your baby could go blind without treatment.
The eye exams are very important. To help prevent infants from going blind, eye examinations are performed on the baby’s eyes many times. Abnormal blood vessels are checked and the transition of the retina as it grows is closely monitored. The exams must continue until the blood vessels heal and the retina fully or near-fully develops.