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Other content tagged: ROP

Health-related quality of life in very and extremely preterm born children at the age of five years

A European study with more than 3600 participants measured how health-related quality of life in children at the age of five is affected by extreme and very preterm birth. The results show that quality of life is particularly lower in extremely preterm born children. Compared to children who are born at term, preterm born children often have a higher risk of mortality and developing serious complications. Children who are born before 28 weeks of gestation…
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One- and two-year follow-up outcomes of the CARE-ROP study

The CARE-ROP study identified ranibizumab as an effective treatment to control acute retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an eye disease that affects preterm babies. For 16 preterm children entering the follow-up period, their ophthalmologic- and neurodevelopment was assessed at the one-year and two-year visits post-baseline. The patients’ outcomes of ranibizumab usage are very reassuring regarding long-term safety. Yet, late reactivation of ROP can represent a challenge and calls for regular follow-ups. Retinopathy of prematurity is…
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Reasons for ROP occurrence and a new option of treatment: an interview with Professor Ann Hellström

Dear Professor Hellström, Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an eye disease that only occurs in very preterm babies (usually preterm babies born before the 31st week or born with a birth weight below 1250 g). What exactly happens in the back of the eye, when a child develops an ROP and why does this occur? When a child develops ROP the development of the neurons and the vessels (neuro-vascular) in the retina (the part at the back of the eye…
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Retinopathy Of Prematurity: Keep up the screening process, even in difficult times – An interview with Professor Doctor Andreas Stahl

In times of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, concerned parents are often uncertain whether they should take their babies to screening and follow-up appointments. Retinopathy of Prematurity is an eye disease that affects mainly very preterm born babies and requires a close screening. Professor Andreas Stahl, Director and Chair of Ophthalmology, University Medicine Greifswald clarifies why screening should not be postponed. Professor Stahl, is there anything one should consider regarding COVID-19 when it comes to treatment of ROP? The key…
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Retinopathy of prematurity – not only an acute condition? An interview with Professor Armin Wolf

Interview with Professor Armin Wolf, Deputy Hospital Director, Eye Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a condition that is found in the eyes of very preterm born babies. It is characterised by changes in the developing blood vessels of the retina (the light-sensitive layer in the back of the eye that sends visual signals to the brain). If detected timely, it can usually be treated and a blindness can be prevented. Still, it is a condition of the…
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Anti-VEGF drug ranibizumab: A new treatment option against retinopathy of prematurity?

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an eye disease that only occurs in very premature babies (usually preterm babies born before the 31st week or born with a birthweight below 1250 g). With ROP, unwanted blood vessels grow on the retina in the back of the baby’s eye that can lead to serious eye problems and even blindness. There are two main treatment approaches, laser surgery and anti-VEGF injections. The latter aims at inhibiting VEGF, the growth factor mainly responsible for…
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Collecting quality data is key: registries of babies treated for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) can improve health, care, and science

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a disease of the eye affecting preterm born babies. It is characterised by changes in the developing blood vessels of the retina (the light-sensitive layer in the back of the eye that sends visual signals to the brain). All preterm babies born before around 31 weeks of pregnancy or having a birth weight of less than 1,250g to 1,500g need to have eye examinations by a specialised eye doctor, called ophthalmologist, to check how the…
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