Good vision seen in ROP eyes with macular abnormalities

This retrospective study found that macular abnormalities in ROP eyes do not always lead to loss of visual acuity.

They reviewed the charts of 44 patients (their better-seeing eyes) between 2 and 18 years of age with a history of ROP.

They found that 64% of patients had 20/40 or better visual acuity despite an abnormal foveal morphology in 91% of eyes. Additionally, best-corrected visual acuity correlated significantly with myopia. They note that myopic children were more likely to have been born at 26 weeks’ gestation or younger.

They say these results imply that an absent foveal pit and retention of the inner retinal layers does not preclude the development of good visual acuity, and that cone maturation may be a better indicator of visual acuity.

They confirm that foveal photoreceptor maturation can occur despite an abnormal foveal depression, which might explain the preserved visual function in many of the subjects.