Abstract
Two visually monocular patients with retinopathy of prematurity, followed up for 14 and 5 years, developed progressive visual loss in their twenties and thirties, respectively. In one patient, who underwent no surgery, visual acuity deteriorated from 20/30 to 20/400 over a 14-year period. The second patient had surgery for retinal detachment. Visual acuity after surgery was 20/60. In the ensuing 2 years it dropped to counting fingers and the visual field constricted to 10 deg. We suggest that changes in the retinal pigment epithelium may compromise the photoreceptors in some ROP patients, thus leading to visual deterioration.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brown HH, Glasgow BJ, Foos RY (1987) Hyperoxemic retinal neuronal necrosis in the premature neonate. Am J Ophthalmol 103: 726–727
Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity Cooperative Group (1988) Multicenter trial of cryotherapy for retinopathy of prematurity: preliminary results. Arch Ophthalmol 106: 471–479
International Committee for the Classification of the Late Stages of Retinopathy of Prematurity (1987) An international classification of retinopathy of prematurity. II. The classification of retinal detachment. Arch Ophthalmol 105: 906–912
Jarrett WH, Brockhurst RJ (1965) Unexplained blindness and optic atrophy following retinal detachment surgery. Arch Ophthalmol 73: 782–791
Johnson BL, Ahdab-Barmada M (1986) Hyperoxemic retinal neuronal necrosis in the premature neonate. Am J Ophthalmol 102: 423–430
Keltner JL, Roth A, Chang S (1983) Photoreceptor degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol 101: 564–569
Kliegle TG, Burde RM, Rappazzo JA, Isserman M, Burgess D, Kantor O (1984) Paraneoplastic retinopathy. J Clin Neuroophthalmol 4: 239–245
Kushner BJ (1982) Strabismus and amblyopia associated with regressed retinopathy of prematurity. Arch Ophthalmol 100: 256–261
Lobes LA, Burton TC (1978) The incidence of macular pucker after retinal detachment surgery. Am J Ophthalmol 86: 72–77
Lobes LA, Grand MG (1980) Incidence of cystoid macular edema following scleral buckling procedure. Arch Ophthalmol 98: 1230–1232
Meredith TA, Resser FH, Topping TM, Aaberg TM (1980) Cystoid macular edema after retinal detachment surgery. Ophthalmology 87: 1090–1095
Sawyer RA, Selhorst JB, Zimmerman LE, Hoyt WF (1976) Blindness caused by photoreceptor degeneration as a remote effect of cancer. Am J Ophthalmol 81: 606–613
Wilkinson CP (1981) Visual results following scleral buckling for retinal detachments sparing the macula. Retina 1: 113–116
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported in part by an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc.; presented at the American Ophthalmological Society, Hot Springs, Virginia, 24 May, 1988, and at the XVIth Meeting of the Club Jules Gonin, Bruges, 4–8 September 1988
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tasman, W., Brown, G.C. Progressive visual loss in adults with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 227, 309–311 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02169402
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02169402