Patient's question:
A preterm baby born at 32 weeks and 3 days of gestation was observed in the intensive care unit for 26 days before discharge. Due to the discovery that the baby did not focus on objects and had wandering eyes, he was taken to the hospital at 5 months and 7 days for examination. It was found that the retina had already developed lesions, with mild vascular proliferation and mild optic nerve atrophy.Doctor's answer:
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants born after the fourth week, whether treated surgically or non-surgically, is very challenging. Therefore, both domestically and internationally, the treatment of ROP in premature infants emphasizes early detection and early treatment. Because patients in stage 4 or stage 5, even if surgery is successful, the best possible vision is only hand motion or light perception. Although your child's condition has still shown some progression, the progression is very slow. In this case, the residual vision without surgery may not necessarily be worse than with surgery. Finally, whether to have surgery should be your decision.