Pay attention to the effect of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs on neurodevelopment in children with retinopathy of prematurity / 中华眼底病杂志

ABSTRACT

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the leading causes of visual impairment in children. As understanding on the pathogenesis of ROP accumulated, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs and their application have changed the treatment mode. Anti-VEGF therapy, with convenient operation and clear efficacy, has become an important treatment method for ROP. However, due to the dysfunction of organs in children with ROP, anti-VEGF drugs can enter blood circulation after intravitreal injection and then lead to temporarily reduction of the VEGF level in the blood, which may theoretically cause adverse effects on the development of all organs (especially the brain) in children with ROP. Therefore, it's necessary to pay attention to the effect of anti-VEGF drugs on neurodevelopment in children with ROP, strictly grasp the indications, and standardize its clinical application, so as to continuously improve the overall prognosis of ROP.