Optical Coherence Tomography in Retinopathy of Prematurity

Abstract

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disease that uniquely affects prematurely born infants. This disease is caused by disordered retinal vascular proliferation and may lead to blindness. The gold standard for ROP screening, diagnosis and monitoring is indirect ophthalmoscopy examination. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has recently been used in ROP affected infants and children in research settings. It has provided further understanding of retinal vascular development and visualization of subtle subclinical features that otherwise go undetected. In school-aged children, OCT has become an essential tool for monitoring macular sequelae of ROP such as retained inner retinal layers, epiretinal membrane, subretinal fluid, and retinoschisis. This chapter reviews the current use of OCT in infants with ROP as well as older children with history of ROP.