As can be expected, when a baby is born prematurely, he/she has not had the luxury of having all the little bits and pieces developed fully in the uterus (note to Luka from his mommy: take it from personal experience, it is better to wait than rush some things!). One of these bits include the eyes. As the blood vessels in the unborn baby's eyes continue to develop until about 34 weeks' gestation, this growth can be interrupted and altered, leading to potential damage of the retina. The disease is called Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) and is one of the leading cause for childhood blindness.
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| Luka being screened for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) |
Since Luka was born at 30 weeks, he was screened for ROP to ensure the blood vessels are growing normally, and not too fast or otherwise altered that could damage his retina. The test requires eye drops be administered 30 minutes before hand to dilate the pupils (an awful feeling if you have ever had these drops during an eye exam). According to the technician Luka's blood vessels are progressing normally. While they have not yet fully developed (i.e., completed the distance from the center to the periphery of the eye) there is no indication of ROP. As a precaution, he recommended a follow-up at 40 weeks to ensure the vessels completed their growth normally.
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