This is an interventional case series study of three premature babies (six eyes) with high risk prethreshold or threshold retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with plus disease that received intravitreal ranibizumab injections for ROP. All infants received intravitreal ranibizumab injections of 0.25mgs/0.025ml (half dose of adult dosage). A 27-gauge needle was used for the intravitreal injection, 1mm from the limbus. The treatment technique required topical anaesthetic, aseptic skin and eye preparation, together with local anaesthesia and insertion of a premature lid speculum. Follow-up examination included day one and seven days after treatment and then this was followed by the first, third and sixth month, and every six months later until the age of three years old. All eyes showed complete resolution of new vessel formation after a single intravitreal injection of ranibizumab. None of the children developed any evidence of recurrence of the disease or progression during the follow-up period. No ophthalmic or other systemic side-effects were found. The authors concluded that further large scale studies of multi-centre randomised trials were required for the long-term safety efficacy of ranibizumab treatment in ROP. 

Short-term outcome after intravitreal ranibizumab injections for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity.
Castellanos MAM, Schwartz S, Garcia-Aguirre G, Quiroz-Mercado H.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
2013;97:816-9.
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Jonathan Chan

Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.

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