Zone of retinal vascularization and refractive error in premature eyes with and without spontaneously regressed retinopathy of prematurity

To evaluate the relationship between zone of retinal vascularization and refractive error in premature infants without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) or with spontaneously regressed ROP. The medical records of neonates screened for ROP between 2009 and 2015 at a tertiary academic center were reviewed retrospectively. Cases included untreated eyes with spontaneously regressed ROP; premature eyes without a diagnosis of ROP were control subjects. Primary outcomes were zone of retinal vascularization and refractive error, determined by cycloplegic retinoscopy (CR). Of 378 eyes evaluated, 184 had ROP, 24 of which underwent treatment and were excluded. Mean corrected age at first CR was 7.5 months. Seventeen eyes without ROP were myopic at first CR (8.8%), compared to 35 eyes with regressed ROP (21.9%). No untreated eyes had halted vasculature in zone I; notably, 44% of spontaneously regressed zone II eyes were myopic. Irrespective of ROP status, CR significantly differed by zone of vascularization (P