Previously termed retrolental fibroplasia, it consists of damage to the blood vessels of the retina, which may become detached if the resulting scar tissue contracts. Linked to hyperpoxia, resulting from an overly high level of oxygen therapy, it can lead to blindness in very preterm and very low birthweight infants. Previously thought to have been eradicated, it has become prevalent again as more very preterm infants requiring lung ventilation are kept alive.
See Preterm infant, Very (or extremely) preterm birth, Retina