TEN-YEAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY TREATMENT IN TAIWAN

Purpose:To understand the epidemiology of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) requiring treatment in Taiwan from 2002 to 2011.Methods:This retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 11,180 premature patients with a length of stay >28 days who survived during hospitalization. The incidence of the first ROP treatment was analyzed.Results:Among ROP patients (n = 4,096), 6.5% (n = 265) received treatment. The most frequently performed treatment was laser administration (n = 199), followed by intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injection (n = 38), scleral buckle or pars plana vitrectomy (n = 14), and cryotherapy (n = 14). The incidence of ROP requiring treatment increased during the study period, as did the use of intravitreal anti-VEGF injection. Shifts in the treatment modality from cryotherapy and scleral buckle/pars plana vitrectomy to laser treatment after 2003 and from laser treatment to intravitreal anti-VEGF injection after 2010 were observed.Conclusion:In Taiwan, the incidence of the use of intravitreal anti-VEGF injection for treating ROP increased between 2002 and 2011. Laser treatment was less frequently used than intravitreal anti-VEGF injection in 2011.