Retinopathy of Prematurity

The retina is the light-sensitive lining of the eye. In unborn babies that lining usually develops normally – as does the rest of the fetus. But sometimes in premature babies that lining can develop abnormally, a condition called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). It generally occurs in both eyes, but one eye may be worse than the other. Having ROP in only one eye is very rare.

Infants are not born with ROP. Rather they are born with an immature retina, one with incomplete development of the vessels that supply blood to the retina. Not all premature infants develop retinopathy of prematurity. And even for those infants born with this condition, it often resolves without treatment. But if ROP worsens, the condition must be treated. That’s because ROP can worsen into a potentially blinding eye problem, one which each year results in the blindness of about 500 infants in the United States alone.