Abstract
Purpose :
To investigate the long-term treatment outcomes of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants with birth weights < 500 g, and assess the factors that influence the treatment outcomes.
Methods :
We included 24 eyes of 13 patients with birth weights < 500 g treated for type 1 ROP or aggressive ROP, who were followed up for 5 years. Initial treatment was anti-VEGF therapy and laser photocoagulation in 11 and 13 eyes, respectively. We collected data on sex, birth characteristics, zone and stage ROP, the presence of plus disease at the time of treatment, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spherical equivalent (SE), and astigmatism at 5 years after treatment. Using multivariate analysis, we investigated the associations between treatment outcomes (BCVA, SE and cylindrical refractive error) and influencing factors, including treatment procedure (anti-VEGF or laser therapy), sex, birth characteristics, zone, stage, and the presence of plus disease.
Results :
BCVA (logMAR) at age 5 was 0.27 ± 0.32, with 15 (63%) and 6 eyes (25%) having decimal BCVA of 0.5 or better and 1.0 or better, respectively. SE was -3.16 ± 3.45 D; 18 eyes (75%) had myopia (≤ -0.5D) and 6 eyes (25%) had high myopia (≤ -6.0D). Astigmatism was 1.94 ± 1.32 D, and 13 eyes (46%) had a cylindrical error of 1.5 D or higher. Multivariable analysis revealed that the anti-VEGF-treated eyes had significantly better BCVA, less myopic refractive error, and less astigmatism than laser-treated eyes (p = 0.005, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). Female patients presented significantly better BCVA and less astigmatism than male patients (p = 0.021, p < 0.001, respectively).
Conclusions :
One-quarter of the eyes treated for ROP exhibited good visual acuity (decimal BCVA of 1.0 or better) at 5 years after treatment. Refractive error (myopia and astigmatism) was commonly observed. Anti-VEGF therapy offered better visual acuity and less refractive error than laser treatment.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.