With the improvement of pediatric medical technology in China, the survival rate of premature babies has also increased, and with it comes the problem of how to deal with some complications brought about by premature birth, and today we are going to introduce the knowledge about retinopathy of prematurity related to vision. I. What is retinopathy of prematurity? Retinopathy of prematurity is a serious blinding eye disease in which the retinal blood vessels in the eye are not fully developed and are induced by certain factors, leading to retinal contraction, detachment, and finally blindness and eye atrophy, in children born under full term (gestational age less than 37 weeks) or low birth weight (less than 2500g). Many families believe that retinopathy of prematurity is the result of “artificial blindness caused by wrong oxygen therapy in hospitals”, which is wrong. In layman’s terms, this is a disease that seriously affects the vision of the fetus due to early birth or low weight resulting in incomplete development of the eye and failure of the retinal vessels to develop to normal. 2, oxygen: oxygen therapy is an important measure to save the lives of premature infants, prolonged inhalation of high concentration of oxygen was thought to be the main cause of retinopathy of prematurity, but scholars have found that not all premature infants receiving oxygen therapy have retinopathy, the production of retinopathy of prematurity is related to “relative hypoxia”, hypoxemia and hyperoxemia can induce a similar effect. Both hypoxemia and hyperoxemia can induce similar proliferative changes in the retinal vessels. The key is to keep the oxygen level as relatively stable as possible, especially in the early years of life to avoid wide fluctuations. The greater the fluctuation in partial pressure of arterial blood oxygen during the first week of life, the higher the incidence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity. 3. Maternal factors: genetic factors, small for gestational age, others (multiple births, intrauterine infections, maternal hyperemesis, maternal medications such as beta-blockers, etc., mode of delivery) others 4. Neonatal factors: (1) Infection: Infection is an important factor in the development of retinopathy of prematurity, especially fungal infections. Fungal fungemia can be an independent risk factor for the development of retinopathy of prematurity. (2) Anemia and blood transfusion: anemia in preterm infants and low oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells in the body cause relative hypoxia and hypoxia, while repeated blood transfusions can cause fluctuations in blood pressure and blood oxygen, which are risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity. (3) Application of pulmonary surface active substances (4) Blood pressure fluctuations: can affect retinal blood perfusion, and the use of dopamine to increase blood pressure increases the risk of retinopathy of prematurity. 5. Other factors (1) micronutrient deficiency (2) carbon dioxide (3) Other possible triggers are bronchopulmonary dysplasia, parenteral nutrition, necrotizing small intestinal colitis, blood exchange, application of anti-inflammatory pain, apnea, slow heart rate, chronic intrauterine hypoxia, respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation, convulsions, intracranial hemorrhage, blood viscosity, temperature changes, conception using in vitro fertilization techniques, etc. may be associated with retinopathy of prematurity. Treatment of retinopathy of prematurity The prognosis for children with retinopathy of prematurity has improved greatly due to modern treatment techniques, but the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity has not decreased because the survival rate of very low birth weight infants has increased with the improvement of neonatal intensive care techniques. The most proven method to date to prevent retinopathy of prematurity is early detection and early treatment. The first screening is usually performed before the newborn is discharged from the hospital, 4-6 weeks after birth or 31-33 weeks of corrected gestational age. The frequency of follow-up is generally determined by the fundus lesion. Once every 2 weeks for those without retinopathy of prematurity, once a week for those diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity, and less than 1 week between follow-up visits for pre-threshold retinopathy of prematurity. The time of termination of retinopathy of prematurity screening follow-up is based on complete retinal vascularization or lesions that are quiescent or scarred, or have received treatment. The current treatment for retinopathy of prematurity includes photocoagulation, condensation, scleral buckling, and vitrectomy, with the choice of treatment determined by the pediatric ophthalmologist according to the extent of the lesion. For parents, early detection and consultation is required.