The ocular shape and retinal structure in children with a history of treated retinopathy of prematurity

Abstract

This study compared the retinal structure between the eyes of children with a history of treated retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), spontaneously regressed ROP and full-term children using widefield optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and swept-source OCT (SSOCT). We identified patients who were diagnosed with ROP and followed up. Age-matched full-term controls were also recruited. We reviewed the medical records of 34 ROP eyes (34 patients) treated with laser photocoagulation, 5 spontaneously regressed ROP eyes (5 patients), and 15 age-matched full-term controls (15 control eyes). The thickness of the foveal retina and choroid, the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), and ocular shape were assessed using OCTA and SSOCT (Xephilio OCT-S1) images. The mean foveal thickness of the treated ROP eyes was significantly thicker than that of the control eyes. The FAZ of the treated ROP eyes was significantly smaller than that of the control eyes. SSOCT images revealed that 5 of 34 eyes in the treated ROP group had a dome-shaped macula, while 18 had an elongated barrel shape. Understanding these structural changes is crucial for developing targeted treatments and optimizing visual function in this population.

Keywords: Laser treatment; Retinopathy of prematurity; Swept-source OCT; Widefield optical coherence tomography angiography.

Fig. 1

Upper image: SSOCT image. Middle image: OCT-A image. Lower image: The ocular shape index was defined as the coefficient of determination of the quadratic curve equation. (a) Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the treated dome-shaped macular retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Case 1 was a 9-year-old girl born at 24 weeks of gestation (weighing 784 g). FAZ was 0.20 mm². The ocular shape showed a dome-shaped macula, with an OSI of −2.0 × 10⁻⁴. (b) OCT image of a representative eye of a treated elongated barrel-shaped ROP. Case 2 was a 9-year-old boy born at 26 weeks of gestation (weighing 900 g). FAZ was 0.11 mm². The ocular shape showed an elongated barrel-shaped macula, with an OSI of −6.8 × 10⁻⁵. (c) OCT image of the control eye. Case 3 was an 8-year-old girl. FAZ was 0.67 mm². The OSI was 3.6 × 10⁻⁴.

Fig. 2

Upper image: SSOCT image. The line of the RPE is plotted at six points within 3000 μm. Lower image: The ocular shape index was defined as the coefficient of determination of the quadratic curve equation. (a) OSI was − 1.1 × 10⁻⁴. The ocular shape was dome shaped. (b) OSI was 1.3 × 10⁻⁴. The ocular shape was conical.