Good vision in children is essential to their physical and social development, and we provide comprehensive care for the range of childhood eye conditions. These include, but are not limited to, strabismus (squint), amblyopia (lazy eye), congenital cataract, myopia, glaucoma and a range of retinal diseases such diabetic retinopathy.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a potentially blinding disease caused by abnormal development of retinal blood vessels in premature infants. The retina is the inner layer of the eye that receives light and turns it into visual messages that are sent to the brain. When a baby is born prematurely, the retinal blood vessels can grow abnormally. Most ROP resolves without causing damage to the retina.
For many babies, ROP often gets better on its own.
Laser surgery. Small laser beams are used to treat the sides of the retina. This stops the growth of abnormal blood vessels. It takes 30-45 minutes per eye. This is the most common way ROP is treated, and it's been done safely for many years. But your baby may lose some or all of their peripheral (side) vision.
Cryotherapy. Instead of burning away the scars, freezing cold temperatures are used to stop more blood vessels from spreading on the retina. This is an older form of ROP treatment. It also causes a loss of side vision.
Injection. A newer way to treat ROP is to put an anti-cancer drug into each eye. Bevacizumab (Avastin) blocks new growth of blood vessels in tumors, and it can do the same in eyes. This treatment is promising, but more research is needed to make sure there aren't long-term side effects. It's also unclear whether the ROP may come back over time.
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