[Emphasizing the prevention and treatment for retinopathy of prematurity].

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (previously called retrolental fibroplasia), is a proliferative retinopathy of premature and low birth weight infants related with receiving oxygen therapy. ROP is the leading cause of children blindness in the developed countries. With the improvement of health level in our country, perinatal medicine has obtained much development. With the improvement of life support systems, the survival rate of premature in our country is becoming higher and the incidence of ROP is increasing accordingly. The children blindness caused by this illness is increasing, which should obtain the ophthalmologists highly attention. In this article, we discuss the data of ROP incidence in the world; the history of ROP prevention and treatment; the development of the retina, the histopathology of ROP; the international classification of ROP and the timing limit of treatment of ROP. ROP is the leading cause of children blindness in the developed countries. ROP incidence is related with the NICU's treatment and the application of relevant medical laws.