Intraocular pressure determination in infants with severe retinopathy of prematurity

Abstract

We determined intraocular pressure (IOP) in 55 premature infants (122 determinations) with stage V retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) by applanation and indentation tonometry corrected for scleral rigidity and found a modest correlation of r = 0.52 between readings. Chronologic age and the scleral rigidity coefficient were the most significant factors affecting the closeness in readings. Our findings suggest that the applanation method of obtaining IOP values is preferable in infants with ROP because this method is less affected by technical error and the variable nature of premature infant sclera. Frequent examination may be necessary to detect an early IOP increase, especially in infants who have had successful retinal reattachment through vitreoretinal techniques.