Retinopathy of Prematurity: An Optimum Screening Strategy

A New Risk-Based Screening Criterion for Treatment-Demanding Retinopathy of Prematurity in Denmark

“…Recently, several studies of highly developed countries showed that infants who develop T-ROP are very young and small, and new screening criteria were suggested accordingly. [10][11][12][13] Recent Danish studies showed a similar trend, and one study additional demonstrated that older T-ROP infants also are born small for gestational age. [14][15][16][17] All considered, in Denmark, larger infants seems to be screened unnecessarily.…”

“…10,12,[26][27][28][29] The conventional screening criteria currently are the main choice. 20,26,[30][31][32][33][34] However, recently 2 new diagnostic screening guidelines have been suggested as effective alternatives.…”

“…30,31 All these criteria resulting from retrospective studies are defining effectiveness as a screening load associated with the number of detected advanced ROP cases and safety as the percentage of all advanced ROP cases detected by a given criterion. 10,12,[26][27][28][29][35][36][37] In this study, effectiveness is defined as the screening load associated with the number of expected missed TD-ROP cases, with the expected number of missed TD-ROP cases being an independent indicator of safety. To our knowledge, no previous studies have evaluated screening criteria based on such measures.…”

An unusual case of retinopathy of prematurity

“…11,12 Though birth weight and GA are the two most important independent risk factors for this disease, not all factors contributing to the cause of ROP are yet known. The desire to decrease the number of unaffected babies to be screened should not prevent us from missing some of those cases that may provide valuable insight into the pathogenesis of this disease.…”

Neonatologists' Practices and Experiences in Arranging Retinopathy of Prematurity Screening Services

“…4 On average, neonates require from two to up to nine ROP examinations. 5,6 Little is known about the available eye care workforce or how care is organized for the detection and treatment of ROP. A survey conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology found that the number of pediatric ophthalmologists and retinal specialists that evaluate and treat ROP is decreasing, primarily due to liability concerns, poor reimbursement, and the complexity of scheduling care for children at risk for developing ROP.…”