Abstract
Purpose: :
The purpose of this study is to determine the Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings for children with a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and to identify any association between OCT findings and patients’ visual acuity.
Methods: :
Children 6 to 14 years of age with history of prematury (group 1, 2, 3) and age-matched normal children (group 4) were included prospectively. Fourier-domain OCT was used to document the status of macula and the results were compared. Patients were classified into the following 4 groups: patients with history of ROP and laser or cryo-therapy (group 1); with regressed ROP without any treatment (group 2); with prematurity history without ROP (group 3); and normal full term children (group 4). Patients’ visual acuity, refractive status, axial length, and corneal keratometry were also measured and compared among different groups of patients.
Results: :
Sixty-nine patients were enrolled in the study. Patients in group 1 had significantly thicker macula as demonstrated by OCT than the rest of patients. The incidence of abnormal foveal contour in group 1 was also significantly higher than the rest of patients. These findings correlated with poorer visual acuity and higher refractive error identified in group 1 patients.
Conclusions: :
Patients with treatment-requiring ROP is more likely to have abnormal foveal development and worse visual prognosis than the other groups of patients. Fourier-domain OCT is an useful tool for detecting subtle changes in the macular region in the patients with history of ROP.
Keywords: retinopathy of prematurity • retinal development • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)