Investigating the Factors Affecting Myopia in Retinopathy of Prematurity after Laser Treatment

Abstract

To elucidate the mechanism of myopia development in laser-treated retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) eyes, we investigated the effect of the number of laser shots applied on the myopic variables. A total of 33 eyes of 17 infants with laser-treated ROP were included. Cycloplegic retinoscopic refraction testing was carried out and the spherical equivalent (SE) was calculated. Relationships between SE and various variables (including the number of laser shots applied) were examined. In addition, an age- and axial length (AL)-matched control group without ROP was prepared to compare ocular structural parameters. Although there was no statistical difference in AL between two groups (p = 0.88), SE was significantly more myopic in the ROP group (p < 0.001). SE was associated with AL, corneal refraction (CR), and crystalline lens power (CLP) in the ROP group. Of these three factors (AL, CR, and CLP), only CLP was significantly correlated with the number of laser shots applied (p = 0.003); no correlations were observed between the number of laser shots and AL or CR (p = 0.15 and 0.10, respectively). Very similar tendency was observed in the analysis of the difference between right and left eyes in each child.