Some premature infants develop an eye disorder called retinopathy of prematurity. If it is misdiagnosed, the infant runs a higher risk of long term effects such as blindness.

Retinopathy of prematurity, also known as ROP, can affect babies that are born before 31 weeks gestation. The earlier a baby is born, the higher the risk of developing the disorder.

When a fetus is at about 16 weeks gestation, the retina in the eye begins to develop blood vessels. These important blood vessels grow from areas of high oxygenation to areas of low oxygenation.

If oxygen levels in the retina of a fetus change, this can affect the growth of blood vessels. If the blood vessels in the retina grow abnormally, this condition is called retinopathy of prematurity.

The retina blood vessels do not reach maturity until the fetus reaches 35 to 37 weeks gestation. Until this time, the retina is very vulnerable to injury and to retinopathy of prematurity.

Problems can happen with either too much or too little oxygen to these retinal blood vessels. Both hypoxemia (not enough oxygen) and hyperoxemia (too much oxygen) can lead to what is called ischemia. Ischemia is a type of scarring on the retina.

The danger with ischemia is that it can lead to retinal detachment. If the retina detaches from the rest of the eye, blindness occurs.

Retinopathy of prematurity is a serious condition. If babies are born before 30 weeks gestation, it is possible a baby can have ROP. If the pregnant mother delivers at full term, the blood vessels in the retina have had sufficient time to develop. This is not the case with premature babies.

It was discovered in 1988 that retinopathy of prematurity could be prevented much of the time if cryotherapy was performed on the infant. There are other treatments that have been known to repair or lessen the effects of retinopathy of prematurity. These include oxygen treatment, laser therapy so that abnormal blood vessels do not spread, vitrectomy surgery and retina repair surgery.

It is estimated that approximately 15,000 infants are born each year with retinopathy of prematurity. The effects of the condition can be helped much of the time if it is diagnosed early. If it is not, the short window for treatment is lost and the baby can suffer long-term effects that might include blindness.

Sometimes retinopathy of prematurity resolves itself on its own. However, in 10 percent of cases, the condition progresses to a point that serious effects can occur.

The severity of the condition ranges from stage 1 to stage 5. In stage 5 retinopathy of prematurity, the retina has completely detached.

If ROP is misdiagnosed and blindness occurs, this can be a result of medical malpractice.

Retinopathy of prematurity medical malpractice may be cited if a doctor has failed to communicate properly with parents regarding follow-up care, if parents are not referred to a specialist or if the doctor does not diagnose the proper ROP stage.