A scoping review of adverse visual outcomes among preterm infants without, versus those with, retinopathy of prematurity

Abstract

Adverse visual outcomes (AVOs) are common among preterm infants and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a well-known risk factor; however, there is limited information available regarding AVOs in preterm infants without ROP. A librarian (PS) conducted searches for studies in MEDLINE (PubMed), and Scopus (Elsevier), from January 1, 2007, to July 13, 2023. The search was designed to capture articles containing the concepts of ROP and adverse visual outcomes using relevant subject headings and text words adapted for the syntax of each database. Following deduplication, Rayyan was utilized for title abstract and full text screening to identify studies reporting specific AVOs separately for preterm infants with and without ROP. The available literature suggests that ROP is associated with an increased risk for specific AVOs, including low vision and blindness, amblyopia, and strabismus. Astigmatism and color vision abnormalities were not strongly linked to ROP. Preterm infants without ROP still experience AVOs, albeit at lower percentages. While ROP is a risk factor for some AVOs, not all AVOs among preterm infants are associated with ROP. Further research is warranted to better understand the factors contributing to AVOs in preterm infants without ROP.