Anatomy of ROP

A study from researchers in Mashhad, Iran, has aimed to compare biometric and optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters – as well as the refractive status – of preterm children aged between 4–8 years, with or without a history of ROP.

The retrospective cohort study also evaluated these correlations with age- and gender-matched full-term children, looking at data of four specific groups: preterm children with ROP treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB), preterm children with regressed ROP without treatment, preterm children without ROP, and full-term children as controls.

Key ophthalmic measurements, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spherical equivalent of refraction (SE), axial length (AL), keratometry, macular thickness, and choroidal thickness, were collected for 30 children in each group. Statistical analyses were used to assess differences between the groups, including multiple linear regression and correlation analyses to explore relationships between gestational age and ocular parameters.

The team’s results indicate no significant differences in BCVA, SE, or refractive cylinder between the groups. However, children with a history of ROP (treated and regressed) had significantly shorter AL and steeper corneas than both preterm children without ROP and full-term controls. Central macular thickness was also significantly higher in treated and regressed ROP children compared with full-term children, while a negative correlation was found between gestational age and macular thickness in the ROP groups.

The results suggest that children born at earlier gestational ages have thicker maculas. However, despite these structural changes, refractive errors, such as myopia, were not significantly different between groups.

Additionally, there was no significant difference in choroidal thickness among the groups, and intraocular pressure (IOP) was higher only in the regressed ROP group.

The work highlights that biometric and retinal structural differences in children with a history of ROP correlate with lower gestational age; however, these differences do not translate into worse visual acuity or refractive errors.

The study concludes that, though children with a history of ROP exhibited notable structural changes – such as shorter axial length, steeper corneas, and thicker maculas – these findings emphasize the need for long-term monitoring of visual and ocular development, particularly in early childhood, to prevent amblyopia.