Purpose: To assess the efficacy of lens-sparing vitrectomy in tractional 4A retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) retinal detachments in reducing progression to stage 4B or 5 ROP.
Design: Retrospective, noncomparative consecutive case series.
Participants: Forty eyes (31 patients) with stage 4A ROP at 38 to 42 weeks post-conceptional age.
Intervention: Lens-sparing vitrectomy.
Main outcome measures: Retinal attachment status and presence/absence of fixation behavior.
Results: The range of follow-up was 6 to 22 months (mean, 12 months). Ninety percent (36 of 40) of eyes showed retinal reattachment and fixation behavior at their last follow-up visit.
Conclusions: These results suggest that vitreous surgery can interrupt progression of ROP from stage 4A to stages 4B or 5.