Nursing Update on Retinopathy of Prematurity

One of the problems that plagues premature infants is retinopathy of prematurity, a potentially blinding disease that occurs because the retina is immature before 34 weeks gestation and must develop in a suboptimal environment when a baby is born early. Prevention by minimizing oxygen exposure has been somewhat effective, but survival of the tiniest babies has led to a recent resurgence in cases. Oxygen targeting and early surgery show promise to reduce the risk of blindness in the smallest premature infants. Nurses play an important role in oxygen management and parental support.