The Study on Clinical Characteristics and Therapies of Stage 3+ Retinopathy of Prematurity

ABSTRACT

We diagnosed 48 babies as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among 438 premature infants from April 1995 to March 1996 in Gil General Hospital. Among 48 ROP babies, 16 (30 eyes) infants progressed to stage 3+ ROP. Mean birth weight was 1474.0 gm, mean gestational age was 29.7 weeks and mean oxygen inhalation duration was 471.2 hours. Among 30 eyes of stage 3+ ROP, 25 eyes progressed to threshold stage and 5 eyes regressed spontaneously. Ten eyes were treated with cryotherapy and 15 eyes with diode laser photocoagulation and the treatment depends on random selection. Four eyes progressed to stage 5 ROP in spite of photocoagulation and encircling scleral buckling. Favorable outcome was achieved in all eyes treated with cryotherapy, and in 73. 3% of eyes laser-treated.