Day 41 - First Eye Exam
Tuesday, February 9th, 2021 5 weeks old Gestational Age: 31 weeks + 5 days James had his first eye exam this morning called a ROP test (Retinopathy of Prematurity). He is now sleeping like a baby and high-stating. 👶🏻💤 In babies born early, normal retinal vessel growth may be disrupted and abnormal vessels can develop. This can cause leaking and bleeding into the eye. ROP has no signs or symptoms when it first develops in a newborn. The only way to detect it is through an eye exam by an ophthalmologist. 👀 Although a high percentage of examined babies will show some degree of ROP most will not require treatment. Nevertheless, premature babies require lifelong followed by an ophthalmologist because of their increased risk for eye misalignment, amblyopia, and the need for glasses to develop notmal vision. Two factors influence vision loss from ROP: the amount of retina that is underdeveloped of the time of birth and the severity of the disease. The redness divided into Zones 1, 2...