Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a disease that primarily affects premature babies, causes abnormal blood vessels to grow in the retina. This growth can cause the retina to detach from the back of the eye, leading to blindness. ROP can stop or reverse itself at any point, or the disease may progress to cause scarring, which pulls the retina away from the rest of the eye.

Infants diagnosed with ROP in Connecticut Children’s NICUs require follow-up care and close monitoring to determine if surgery or another form of treatment is needed.