Retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)is a proliferative vascular disorder of the immature
retina, and it is a major
eye disease that causes
blindness in
children of developing and
developed countries.
Retinal laser photocoagulation and
cryotherapy are the conventional
treatment used for ROP but could cause permanent damage to
retina, with a
risk of
complications such as
visual field defect and high
myopia. With more normal
growth of
retinal function and convenience and shorter
time than coagulation
therapy,
intravitreal injection of anti-
vascular endothelial growth factor(
VEGF)agents has gradually gained popularity and has even been advocated as the
treatment of choice in treating zone I, zone II posterior or aggressive ROP. However, the serious systemic
complications, minimum effective
dose and late
recurrence caused by anti-
VEGF drugs in the
treatment of ROP still need to be further studied. This
review focuses on the use of anti-
VEGF agents for the
treatment of ROP.