Neonatal Retinopathy

With the advancing technology of today, neonatal care units allow for the survival of infants with increasingly lower birth weights and those born significantly preterm. However, during the postnatal period, the development of the eye, in particular, shows differences compared to other tissues and organs. The last 12 weeks of pregnancy is a crucial period for the rapid development of the retinal layer and its blood vessels. In premature (preterm) infants, the retina and blood vessels fall short of reaching their intended areas and cannot develop properly.