Myopia in Premature Infants

ABSTRACT

The authors performed cycloplegic refraction in premature infants at the 6 months and 3 years of age to evaluate the incidence and degree of myopia and the changes of refractive errors according to the development, disease course and cryotherapy of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). In 180 eyes of 99 infants at the 6 months of age, the incidences of myopia were not different between eyes with no ROP and eyes with spontaneously regressed ROP (36.3%, 25.5%), and the degrees of myopia were low in both groups (-1.76D, - 2.25D). In eyes with regressed ROP after cryotherapy, the incidence of myopia was high (75.5%) but the degree of myopia low (-3.03D). In eyes with cicatrical ROP, cryotreated or not, both of the incidence and the degree of myopia were high(93.9%, -5.50D). It is suggested that the incidence of myopia is increased after cryotherapy but the degree of myopia occurring after cryotherapy is low. In eyes with spontaneously regressed ROP, the degrees of refractive errors did not change from 6 months to 3 years of age, whereas in eyes cryotreated or with cicatrical ROP, the degrees of refractive errors were progressively changed to myopic side.