Blindness and partial sight due to retinopathy of prematurity in The Netherlands: 1975-1987

Retinopathy of Prematurity in Denmark. Epidemiological Considerations and Screening Limits

The epidemiology of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Denmark is analysed based on two sources. Regional experience is presented from 12 years' prospective ophthalmic control of infants at risk, in a Danish county with population 342,000 and 44,805 liveborns over the period 1982-93. Out of 127 subjects with ROP 101 reached stage 1 or 2 only; 26 progressed to at least stage 3. Seven with blindness due to ROP amounted to 15.6/100,000 liveborns, a high frequency. The trend over the twelve years was towards less serious sequelae. Currently, the national screening limits for ROP have been adjusted under guidance from the compulsory registration of childhood visual impairment; with birth years 1974-94 there were 157 ROP-children in the register. Blindness due to ROP is now seen only in the very immature. It is suggested that gestational age 30 weeks will soon replace the present limits of less than 32 weeks/1750 g.

Retinopathy of prematurity: the continuing threat to vision in preterm infants. Dutch survey from 1986 to 1994

From January 1st 1986 until January 1st 1994, 82 infants were registered in The Netherlands as partially sighted or blind due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Compared with the previous Dutch survey (1975-1987) an increasing number of registered infants had been screened for ROP during their initial hospitalization (95.1% vs. 54.1%) and had ophthalmic treatment in the acute stages of the disease (43.9% vs. 24.5%). Nevertheless, an increase in the annual incidence of partial sight or blindness due to ROP from 4.2/100,000 live births (1975-1987) to 5.1/100,000 live births (1986-1994) was found. This increase seemed to be associated with a higher number of surviving premature infants of less than 28 weeks gestational age.