Authors

  1. Wilborn , Nikki
  2. Lynch , Robert
  3. Allen , Patricia
  4. Toon , Molly

Abstract

One of the leading causes of childhood blindness is retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). 1 ROP is a disease of the retina that affects premature infants, with the highest risk to very low birthweight (VLBW) infants born with a gestational age of less than 30 to 32 weeks or infants weighing less than 1500 grams. 2 There are 5 stages of ROP. Stages 1 and 2 are considered mild and resolve on their own. Stage 3 is considered moderate-severe and sometimes resolves independently, with many cases requiring treatment. Stages 4 and 5 ROP are deemed severe and require treatment.