Emerging Treatments for Retinopathy of Prematurity

Abstract

Retinopathy or prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of potentially preventable blindness in children. With increased survival of infants born at earlier gestational ages the number of infants at risk from vision loss from ROP has increased. Current treatments consist of close monitoring of oxygen saturation levels, peripheral retinal ablation by cryotherapy or laser photocoagulation, and vitreoretinal surgery. Research in the area of angiogenesis has lead to numerous breakthroughs. Emerging treatments for ROP are targeting the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) pathways, as well as dietary supplementation with omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Keywords:

• retinopathy of prematurity
• ROP
• vascular endothelial growth factor
• insulin–like growth factor 1
• VEGF
• IGF-1
• omega-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids
• polyunsaturated fatty acids