I Can See Clearly Now: Retinopathy of Prematurity (Preemie Babies 101 Post)

When Jax was a baby, he was diagnosed with a severe and aggressive form of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) and the disease threatened to take his eyesight.

Premature babies, especially those with very low birth weights, are born with eye vessels that are immature and do not reach the outer parts of the eyes. When a high level of oxygen is introduced, it interrupts the growth of the vessels and voila – you have Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Jaxson received Avastin injections and laser surgery to combat the disease.

Babies with severe ROP requiring treatment, like Jax, are at greater risk for strabismus, glaucoma, cataracts and shortsightedness (myopia) later in life. Jax sees a pediatric ophthalmologist regularly to monitor his eyes for problems. At his last appointment, they noticed that Jax is beginning to show some signs of “lazy eye,” or amblyopia. We go back on Thursday to see if it’s getting any worse. If so, he might be prescribed glasses. If it’s not any worse, we will continue to monitor the symptoms.

I struggled to find informative articles (that I could understand!) when Jax was diagnosed with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), so I decided to write one of my own. Please go check out my latest post on Preemie Babies 101 and let me know what you think!

Read the article: I Can See Clearly Now: Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)

Did your preemie have ROP? What treatment (if any) did they receive and how did it go?

Author: Andrea M

Oh man, what an adventure! I went into labor unexpectedly when I was 23w3d pregnant. Jaxson was born weighing 1 lb 8 oz. A tiny little peanut, but boy was he feisty. He still is! We love it now, but we probably won't when he is a teenager. I write about our journey and all other things that come with it, including a brain tumor. We look forward to "meeting" you - come hang out with us...we're pretty cool. View all posts by Andrea M