Retinopathy of prematurity in Indonesia: Incidence and risk factors

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vaso-proliferative disease of the eye, which mainly affects preterm newborn infants with an incompletely vascularized retina. The incidence of ROP has increased in industrialized countries due to the increased survival of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. ROP is also increasing in developing countries like Indonesia, where it is most likely due to the improved survival of ELBW infants. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the incidence of ROP and possible risk factors associated with the development of ROP in preterm infants in Indonesia. METHODS: We reviewed the literature on the incidence and potential risk factors for the development of ROP in Indonesia, obtained data from three referral eye clinics and added data from our institution. RESULTS: The reported incidence of all stages of ROP in infants with a gestational age of