Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Changes in Preterm Children with or without Retinopathy of Prematurity History.

Purpose: To investigate peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness changes in preterm children with or without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) history compared to full-term children.

Methods: A retrospective comparative cohort study assessing pRNFL thickness was completed in children aged 4-8 years. Four groups of children were included ( = 30 each group): children with a history of ROP who were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab, children with ROP who received no treatment, and preterm children without ROP compared to age- and gender-matched full-term children.

Results: A total of 120 eyes from 120 children were enrolled in this study. Both treated and regressed ROP children showed a significantly thinner pRNFL in the nasal quadrant compared to full-term children ( = 0.017 and = 0.008, respectively). The pRNFL in the superior quadrant of treated ROP children was thinner than the preterm and control groups ( = 0.015 and = 0.023, respectively), whereas the inferior quadrant of treated ROP children was thinner than the preterm group alone ( = 0.008). The pRNFL thickness in the temporal quadrant was comparable between groups ( = 0.129). The average spatial distribution profile of pRNFL thickness in treated ROP children was significantly thinner than in the preterm group ( = 0.041).

Conclusion: pRNFL thickness is significantly altered in children with a prior history of treated ROP with thinning of the nasal and superior quadrants compared to full-term children.