A Modern Approach to the Treatment of Retinopathy of Premature Infants Using Retinal Laser Coagulation

The study was conducted on 120 eyes of 60 premature infants (gestation period – 25–31 weeks, birth weight – 670–1630 g, age – 5–8 weeks) with various stages of ROP. Voluntary informed consent for the implementation of treatment and diagnostic measures was obtained from all parents. All children underwent a comprehensive diagnostic examination, including indirect binocular ophthalmoscopy, anterior segment biomicroscopy, digital retinoscopy using the wide-field digital retinal pediatric video system "RetCam-3" (Massie Research Laboratories Inc, USA). Interpretation of diagnostic study data was performed in accordance with the developed clinical and morphometric classification [2]. All patients were divided into two groups depending on the laser coagulation method. The main group consisted of 70 eyes of 35 newborns with active ROP, on which we performed laser coagulation of the retina. Of these, stage II ROP with an unfavorable type of process progression was noted in 11 eyes, stage III with an unfavorable type of process progression - in 3 eyes, posterior aggressive ROP - in 9 eyes, of which 35 eyes were at the stage of early clinical manifestations, 12 eyes at the manifestation stage. The control group included 100 eyes of 50 infants, who underwent only conservative treatment. Of these, stage II ROP with an unfavorable type of the process was observed in 11 eyes, stage III – in 3 eyes, posterior aggressive ROP – in 13 eyes, including 9 eyes at the stage of early clinical manifestations and 14 eyes at the manifestation stage.