The human body is like an amazing machine, when a part of this machine has a problem, the body will appear some small conditions to alert our attention. However, does your busy daily life make you blind to these health alerts? Retinopathy of prematurity is a proliferative lesion of the blood vessels in the fundus of the eye that occurs in the retina of premature or low birth weight infants, with a prevalence of 15% to 30% in preterm infants. Many children with retinopathy miss the best treatment and live forever in the dark. Oxygen is a “double-edged sword” In critical neonatal resuscitation and premature infant rescue, oxygen has become a routine tool. While oxygen saves the lives of newborns, it can also be a health hazard for them, as high concentrations and high flow rates of oxygen can induce retinopathy of prematurity and cause blindness. However, the role of oxygen in the rescue of critically ill newborns is indisputable, and it should be used when it is needed. If a newborn has a history of oxygen therapy, parents should bring their child to the ophthalmology department for early detection and treatment. Don’t miss the critical treatment period The course of retinopathy of prematurity is divided into five stages. Some of the lesions in the first and second stages may not heal on their own. Stage IV and V lesions are very severe. Stage IV can be treated surgically, but the visual prognosis is poor. If the lesion progresses to stage 5, the best surgical results reported abroad can only restore vision to 0.01, which means that only light perception is available, and most children will say goodbye to the colorful world for life. Therefore, the best time period for treatment of retinopathy of prematurity is from stage 1 to stage 3, with stage 3 being the critical period for treatment and deciding whether to operate on the child. From treatable stage III to untreatable stage IV, the disease changes very quickly, in just a few weeks, and there is no change in the appearance of the eye. If the critical treatment period is missed, the child misses out on a world of light. Which children need a retinal exam Infants with a birth weight of less than 1,500 grams or a gestational age of 28 weeks or less; normal weight and normal gestational age, but who have received oxygen therapy since birth should all have a retinal exam. The examination should begin 4 weeks after birth, or at 32 weeks from the mother’s pregnancy, and the child should be followed up if retinal pathology is detected.