ABSTRACT
Objective:
To study the incidence and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in the premature infants examined in Göztepe Training and Research Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology.
Material and Methods:
In a retrospective study data of the infants screened for ROP in our clinic during April 2007-August 2011 was reviewed. Possible risk factors and eye examinations were recorded and analysed using Chi-square, univariate and multivariate regressions.
Results:
Retinopathy of prematurity was detected in 321 (30.8 %) of the 1043 infants enrolled in the study. Of the babies with ROP, 290 had mild ROP (90.3 %) and 31 had severe ROP (9.6 %). Of the 28 patients in stage III, 8 improved without treatment, 16 improved with argon laser photocoagulation and 4 progressed to stage IV despite the treatment. The mean gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) of patients who were treated for ROP were 29.1 weeks (±3.1) and 1249.8 gr (± 334.2) respectively. Six of these babies had a gestational age ≥32 and eight had a BW ≥1500 gr. The multivariate regression analyses showed GA, BW and oxygen therapy as independent predictors of ROP.
Conclusion:
In our series, independent risk factors for development of ROP were found to be low birth weight, low gestational age and oxygen therapy. The incidence of ROP observed in this study was higher than the one in developed countries and relatively more mature infants were affected. Developing screening guidelines suitable for every society and effective screening, preventing premature births and addressing guidelines for monitoring supplemental oxygen are important for prevention of permanent damage and unfavorable outcome in ROP.