Implications of preterm birth on a baby’s eyesight

There are frequent worries regarding the consequences of prematurity when a baby is born prematurely. Medical and ocular complications may arise from preterm babies’ incomplete development. Premature birth weight is linked to a higher risk of myopia of prematurity (MOP) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

What is myopia of prematurity (MOP)?

If a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, it is deemed preterm. The likelihood of medical issues increases with the time a baby is born before the 37-week mark. Babies born before their due date are immature at birth. Preterm babies may therefore not have the same progression of eye development and growth as a full-term baby. The first year of a baby’s life is when the eye grows at its fastest rate. Premature babies are more likely to acquire myopia during the first year of life.

How is MOP different from common myopia?

Changes to the cornea, lens and anterior chamber in preterm babies result in myopia. It is linked to severe ROP, low birth weight, and adverse reactions to ROP treatments. On the other hand, axial myopia is the most prevalent type of myopia when it comes to children in their first and second decades of life. An increase in the eyeball’s length leads to axial myopia. 

MOP and ROP

There is a substantial correlation between severe ROP and MOP, even though MOP can occur without ROP. In premature infants born before 31 weeks, ROP causes abnormalities to the retina. The retinas of the infants develop leaky, abnormal blood vessels as a result of it. Loss of vision due to retinal detachment may arise from these leaky blood vessels. In premature babies, alterations to the front of the eye cause MOP. A highly steep cornea, a thick natural lens and a smaller anterior chamber are some of these changes. Myopia is the outcome of these alterations combined together.

MOP and ROP treatments

Most premature infants only develop mild to moderate ROP. In fact, in the absence of treatment, the ROP may regress or disappear on its own. However, some infants develop advanced ROP and need medical attention. Advanced ROP can be treated with cryotherapy, which freezes abnormal blood vessels, laser therapy which burns abnormal blood vessels, or an injection into the eye that prevents new abnormal blood vessels fr5om growing in the retina. Treatments with lasers and cryotherapy are applied to the abnormal blood vessels located on the retina’s periphery. While these treatments lessen peripheral vision, they aid to maintain central vision. Treatments for ROP are also associated with the development of MOP as a side effect.