Visual acuity in infants after vitrectomy for severe retinopathy of prematurity

During the course of the Multicenter Trial of Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity (CRYO-ROP), 98 infants (129 eyes) from the randomized segment of the trial developed total retinal detachment from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) before the 1-year examination. The authors report as a case series the results of acuity card assessment of monocular grating acuity at 1 year in 53 infants (71 eyes) postvitrectomy and in 45 infants (58 eyes) who had retinal detachments but who did not undergo retinal reattachment surgery. The decision to undertake and the surgical technique used for a retinal reattachment procedure was not part of the randomized CRYO-ROP trial. Two eyes of one infant had pattern vision at the lowest measurable threshold after vitrectomy. None of the remaining eyes that had undergone vitrectomy and none of the eyes that did not undergo vitrectomy showed evidence of pattern vision. The relatively poor visual outcomes in this case series suggest that efforts are well-spent in attempting to prevent retinal detachment in ROP.