Current Practice Patterns for Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity

To evaluate current practice patterns for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and characterize factors influencing clinical decisions, a database of all ophthalmologists subspecializing in pediatrics and retina was compiled from membership directories of subspecialty societies and academic institutions in the United States. A web-based survey was emailed to these subspecialists to obtain information regarding demographics, treatment practices, and preferences in hypothetical clinical scenarios. From 2,977 retina and pediatric ophthalmology subspecialists surveyed, 302 self-reported as treating ROP, of whom 56% reported having performed intra-vitreal anti-VEGF injection for ROP. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injection was the initial treatment for posterior type 1 high risk ROP preferred by the majority of surveyed ROP treaters, whereas 66% reported uncertainty regarding long-term side effects as the largest barrier to its use. Geographic practice location was associated with anti-VEGF use (P = .019). Anti-VEGF injection as ROP therapy was preferred in some scenarios in our sample. Concerns regarding potential anti-VEGF side effects warrant further investigation.

Clinical implications: Intravitreal anti-VEGF injection was chosen as the initial therapeutic option by the majority of ROP treatment providers for posterior type 1 ROP in this survey that assessed treatment preferences for a range of clinical scenarios. Uncertainty regarding long-term side effects was the largest reported barrier to use of anti-VEGF for ROP treatment. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2016;47:491-495.].