Premature infant retinopathy

Retinopathy of prematurity (rop) is an eye disease caused by abnormal growth of retinal blood vessels in premature or low birth weight babies. If not detected and treated promptly, there is a risk of permanent blindness in both eyes.

Which children need eye exams to detect the disease?

first. Premature infant retinopathy is an eye disease due to abnormal growth of retinal blood vessels in premature or preterm infants (Photo: bouldereyesurgeons) Birth weight less than 1,500g or gestational age at 33 weeks (7, 5 months).

2. Weight at birth from 1,500g to 2,000g but suffocating at birth, lying in the incubator, prolonged oxygen, there are other diseases attached and newborn doctor for eye examination appointment.

3. Weight at birth between 1,500g and 2,000g and multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets .).

In general, low birth weight babies or small-term gestational ages are at higher risk of developing ROP.

The course of the disease

Children who are born prematurely and do not have ROP but have only immature retinal blood vessels that do not provide enough retinal blood. ROP will appear a postpartum period if the retinal blood vessel develops abnormally, meaning that not all premature babies have ROP disease. When there is ROP disease, one of the following 3 situations may occur:

Mild illness that heals without any treatment.

Moderate illness, partial self-healing without treatment, long-term follow-up to avoid late complications later.

Severe illnesses need to be treated promptly, otherwise most people will permanently blind.

Disease detection method

In the early stages, it is impossible to detect the disease with the naked eye (looking outside the eye is normal), when it is shown that the disease is already in the late stage can no longer be cured. ROP should be screened after 4 weeks of birth, an ophthalmologist will use a special machine with a convergent lens called an indirect ophthalmoscope to evaluate and monitor the child.

Treatment and effectiveness of treatment

There are 2 methods: cold freezing and laser freezing, the doctor will choose the appropriate method for children.

Depending on the severity of the disease, if the disease is mild or moderate and early detection, the results are quite good, if the disease is severe, no matter which method of treatment, blindness is still very high, if detected late and the disease has progressed to retinal detachment, the child will permanently blind. The function of looking after also depends on many factors in the development process of the child.

Re-examination and follow-up

For the safety of the child's eyes, it is important to follow the follow-up appointment by the doctor. Depending on the condition, the doctor will make a follow-up appointment a few days, 1 week or 2 weeks later or even need immediate treatment. Children need to be examined until they are out of danger or blood vessels in the fully developed retina.

When a child has ROP, even if it is mild without treatment, some late complications can still occur such as strabismus, nearsightedness, glaucoma, delayed retinal detachment, so long-term monitoring of a disease Pediatric ophthalmology institute is needed to detect and intervene promptly. Pay special attention to cases in one eye or eye that are heavier than the other eye.

Prepare before going to the eye exam

Registration before the examination: Before the examination, the pupil will be treated with a small dilator to allow the doctor to observe the entire retina. Therefore, it is necessary to go to the clinic for an appointment. ) and take the child to the scheduled date and time.

Breastfeeding before the exam at least 1 hour: during a baby's exam often cries, to avoid choking milk causing danger can be fatal), the child needs to suckle since the beginning of a small dilator.

Bring all the necessary documents (hospital discharge paper, referral for eye examination, pregnancy examination paper, mother's ultrasound, follow-up appointment letter .) for details related to pregnancy and preliminary time birth is very important.

Where to contact to get an eye exam?

It is best for a newborn doctor to introduce an eye exam with full details related to the pregnancy of the mother and the infant's period.

In addition, you can contact the following places for instructions on registering eye exams for children: City Eye Hospital. Ho Chi Minh, eye clinic (280 Dien Bien Phu, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) or Children's Hospital I, Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital, Kangaroo room, neonatal department.

Doctor PHAN HONG MAI (HCMC Eye Hospital)