Conclusion
Even after retinal reattachment surgery, it is
possible for the retina to be successfully reattached (anatomic success) but for there to be no
light perception (Clarkson, Flynn, Frazier-Byrne,
& Jacobson, 1989). This returns my thoughts to
the use of bevacizumab to prevent the harmful
neovascularization from occurring. Currently,
bevacizumab is being used to treat certain types
of cancer and to treat age-related macular degeneration under the brand name Avastin. For the
treatment of AMD, the drug is injected into the vitreous of the eye (CATT Research Group, The,
2011). The problem, though, for use in preventing the progression of ROP is the very specific
timing of the development of blood vessels in the
infant's eyes. If it were to be used too early, any
normal growth would be stopped. Too late, and
there may already be damage. Testing for evidence of vision in infants is difficult also, as is the
procedure to detect the presence and stage of
ROP. There is the potential for more effective
early treatments to prevent the loss of vision
caused by ROP, but more research is necessary
to develop accurate, reliable results.
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