Longitudinal Development of Refractive Error in Children Treated with Intravitreal Bevacizumab or Laser for Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Purpose: To compare the patterns of longitudinal refractive error development during the first 3.5 years in children with severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) or laser photocoagulation. Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled extremely preterm infants (birth weight < 1000 g, gestational age 23-27 weeks) with type 1 ROP from multiple hospitals in Dallas between 1999 and 2017; IVB group (N = 22); laser group (N = 26). Cycloplegic retinoscopy was conducted from 0.04 years corrected age and every 0.5 to 1.0 years thereafter until 3.5 years old. Right eye spherical equivalent (SEQ) and astigmatism, anisometropia, and better-eye visual acuity were analyzed over time. Results: In all children, both eyes were treated with the same modality. At the final visit, the prevalence of myopia (SEQ <= -1D) was 82.7% in the laser group and 47.7% in the IVB group (P < 0.05) with amean SEQ of -8.0D +/- 5.8D in the laser group versus -2.3D +/- 4.2D in the IVB group (P < 0.001). Longitudinal SEQ were best fit with a bilinear model. Before one year, the rate of SEQ change was -5.0D/year in the laser group, but only -3.5D/year in the IVB group ( T=-5.14, P < 0.001); after one year, there was a significant flattening of these slopes (T = 6.23, P < 0.001). Anisometropia in the IVB group was significantly less than in the laser group (P< 0.05). Final visual acuity in both groups was similar at 0.47 logMAR (similar to 20/60). Conclusions: Children with severe ROP treated with IVB developed less myopic refractive error than those treated with laser largely because of a slower rate of refractive change during the first year of life. Translational Relevance: These findings may inform decisions regarding ROP treatment timing and modality.