Retinopathy of prematurity is a somewhat recently discovered type of birth injury afflicting newborns, which was identified in the 1940s. It varies wildly in severity, but can have lifelong consequences for children.

Retinopathy of prematurity is a birth injury that causes problems with the retina (the light-sensing part of the eye) and the blood vessels that feed it. Premature and small birth-weight babies are at highest risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity, as it the case with many birth defects and birth injuries.

Doctors divide retinopathy of prematurity into five stages from one to five based on the severity of the birth injury. Stage one and two of retinopathy of prematurity usually includes only mild anomalies in a baby’s eyes, which usually resolve on their own. But as retinopathy of prematurity gets more severe, the birth injury has less and less of a chance of successful recovery and may lead to a fully detached retina and lifelong complications.

As stated, the biggest risk factors for this birth injury are low birth weight and prematurity, but several other risk factors exist. A baby that is weak or generally sickly during childbirth is at greater risk of retinopathy of prematurity.

As such, retinopathy of prematurity often occurs in babies who have suffered anemia, blood transfusions, and breathing problems.

Depending on the severity of this birth injury, retinopathy of prematurity may require surgery. Surgeons have an escalating scale of surgeries which can help repair the retina, becoming more extreme and invasive as they move towards the most serious stage five cases.

Some moderate cases of retinopathy of prematurity can be treated with laser surgery, though more advanced cases may require surgeons to actually go in and change the physical shape of the eye to prevent detachment. However, even with surgical intervention, some cases lead to serious complications.

In some cases, retinopathy of prematurity can lead to serious vision problems. A detached or damaged retina is the main cause of blindness with this birth injury. Since the disease may get worse as the child grows, infants can lose their vision progressively.

Birth injury lawsuits have been filed by parents whose children suffer from birth injuries like retinopathy of prematurity. These birth injury lawsuits allege that medical professionals were in some way negligent, contributing to premature birth or physical injuries that make birth injuries more likely.

Birth injury lawsuits typically seek to recoup the cost of medical care, occupational therapy, lost income potential, and other costs associated with the alleged birth injury.