Visual outcome and effect of treatment in stage III developing retrolental fibroplasia.

Forty-five babies were seen with retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) stage III or more, that is, with a large vasoformative ridge protruding into the vitreous cavity. Thirty-four attended for follow-up, but subsequently 6 died. Of the remainder 12 had satisfactory vision, 3 unilateral and 8 bilateral high myopia, 3 were totally blind, and 2 were partially blind. It was found that stage III RLF could be subdivided according to its severity. Early stage III had a good prognosis, with 11 out of 18 achieving satisfactory vision, but only one out of 16 in RLF stage IIIa or more. Cryothermy was applied to 9 babies in the latter group, but it did not seem to influence the final outcome.