Ocular morbidities of premature children with mild or no retinopathy of prematurity.

This study reports the ocular and neurologic outcomes at 3 years of age of preterm children with mild or no retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We were able to compile data from the medical records of 119 out of 585 (20.3%) children with mild and no ROP, who were screened between March 1999 and March 2012. There were 52 children with mild ROP and 67 with no ROP. In terms of ROP-related risk factors, the mild ROP and no ROP groups showed significant differences in birth weight (p<0.001) and gestational age (p<0.001), as well as in the presence of mechanical ventilation (p=0.04), respiratory distress syndrome (p=0.003), blood transfusion (p=0.006) and sepsis (p=0.024). However, both groups seemed identical in terms of the distribution of refractive errors, presence of strabismus, presence of unfavorable structural or functional outcome, and presence of neurologic sequelae. In particular, the high incidence of neurologic morbidity (100%) in subjects with very poor vision suggested a clear correlation.