Retinopathy of Prematurity
Introduction Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a fibrovascular proliferative disorder, which affects the developing peripheral retinal vasculature of premature infants. It is an avoidable cause of blindness in children. The initial signs of ROP are detectable by a few weeks after birth, and the condition progresses rapidly thereafter. This means that screening has to be timely, and there is only a very narrow window of opportunity for treating. If not treated, the condition progresses rapidly to Stage 4 or 5 in approximately 50% of babies. The visual prognosis for babies with Stage 5 disease (total retinal detachment) is very poor, even after complex vitreoretinal surgery. The primary goal of screening is to detect all babies with treatable disease in time for treatment to be effective. Pathogenesis In the normal foetus, vascular development of the retina occurs in two phases. Phase 1 (True vasculogenesis): It occurs from 8-21 weeks of foetal development. Spindle cells (mesenchymal p

