ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN CHARACTERISTICS OF SEVERE RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY PATIENTS AFTER SCREENING GUIDELINES WERE ISSUED IN CHINA.

Abstract To describe the changes in the characteristics of infants treated for severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a tertiary referral unit in China after screening guidelines were issued in 2004 and to evaluate the effectiveness of the current criteria. Information on consecutive infants referred to a single eye department for treatment of Stage 3 (Type 1 pretheshold and threshold disease), Stage 4, and Stage 5 ROP between January 2001 and May 2012 was retrieved from medical records. The mean gestational age was 29.98 ± 2.13 weeks (range 26-34 weeks), and the mean birth weight was 1,414.32 ± 343.18 g (range 742-2,087 g). The proportion of infants with Stage 4 and Stage 5 ROP decreased statistically significantly over time (P = 0.026 and P