After we left Madison's 6 month check up I was kind of upset. As some of you know or may not know because of how premature Madison was and how long she was on oxygen she developed Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
This is what Wikipedia has to say about it:
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), previously known as retrolental fibroplasia (RLF), is an eye disease that affects prematurely-born babies. It is thought to be caused by disorganized growth of retinal blood vessels which may result in scarring and retinal detachment. ROP can be mild and may resolve spontaneously, but it may lead to blindness in serious cases. As such, all preterm babies are at risk for ROP, and very low birth weight is an additional risk factor. Both oxygen toxicity and relative hypoxia can contribute to the development of ROP.
Normally, maturation of the retina proceeds in-utero, and at term the mature infant has fully vascularized retina. However, in preterm infants, the retina is often not fully vascularized. ROP occurs when the development of the retinal vasculature is arrested and then proceeds abnormally. The key disease element is fibrovascular proliferation. This is growth of abnormal new vessels that may regress, but frequently progresses. Associated with the growth of these new vessels is fibrous tissue (scar tissue) that may contract to cause retinal detachment. Multiple factors can determine whether the disease progresses, including overall health, birth weight, the stage of ROP at initial diagnosis, and the presence or absence of "plus disease". Supplemental oxygen exposure, while a risk factor, is not the main risk factor for development of this disease. Restricting supplemental oxygen use does not necessarily reduce the rate of ROP, and may raise the risk of other hypoxia-related systemic complications.[citation needed]
Other physicians have suggested that supplemental oxygen, specifically oxygen tents given to pre-term infants specifically causes ROP. The hypothesized mechanism involves the degradation and developmental cessation of blood vessels in the presence of excess oxygen. When the excess oxygen environment is removed, the blood vessels begin forming rapidly again and grow into the vitreous humor of the eye from the retina, sometimes leading to blindness.[1] This does not preclude the dangers of hypoxic environments for premature infants.
Patients with ROP are at greater risk for strabismus, glaucoma, cataracts and myopia later in life and should be examined yearly to help prevent and treat these conditions.
So with that said Madison had laser surgery in both her eyes. I was told she may have to wear glasses, everyone in this family has glasses but that's no big deal. We are supposed to go back for another 6 month follow up and I was warned that, that may be the time when she will get glasses. According to the doctor the prescription is "very strong," and there is one type of frame for kids. So I took that as her having coke bottle glasses. That part upset me. He took it as no big deal but to me she sees fine. She looks at everything she gets to the things she wants across the room I don't feel like there is anything wrong with her vision and I don't want to put glasses on my daughter's face until she can tell me whether or not see can see these things or not.
My husband was upset too and was talking about getting a second opinion, I think its a good idea but I just don't get the whole "let me examine your eyes and I can tell you need glasses," deal without a child being able to respond. I understand looking in her eyes and checking out how the vessels in her eyes are but that doesn't state whether she is blind or not. I just hope between now and then Madison will prove him wrong. Either way I don't think he can tell if she can see by just looking at vessels.
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