I went to the ophthalmologist today to have my eyes checked and guess what...another three letter acromyn. I have Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) which is an eye disease that affects prematurely born babies, especially those with very low birth weigh like me. If I was a full term baby, my retina would have matured while I was in Mommy's tummy and I would have a fully vascularized retina with organized blood vessels. However, coming out early, my retina was not fully vascularized and my retinal blood vessels probably stopped and started to grow abnormally which may result in scarring and retinal detachment. ROP can be mild and may resolve spontaneously, but may lead to blindness in serious cases...Stevie Wonder had ROP.
Daddy told me that between 1941–1953, there was a worldwide epidemic of ROP. Cases were then seen all over the world and the cause was, at that point, unknown. By 1951 a clear link between incidence and affluence became clear: many cases were seen in developed countries with organized and well-funded health care. Two British scientists suggested that it was oxygen toxicity that caused the disease. Babies born prematurely in such affluent areas were treated in incubators which had artificially high levels of oxygen. Studies on rats made this cause seem more likely, but the link was eventually confirmed by a controversial study undertaken by American pediatricians. The study involved two groups of babies. Some were given the usual oxygen concentrations in their incubators, while the other group had "curtailed" oxygen levels. The latter group was shown to have a lower incidence of the disease. As a result, oxygen levels in incubators were lowered and consequently the epidemic was halted. Both oxygen toxicity and relative hypoxia can contribute to the development of ROP.
So I need to go back and see the ophthalmologist next week for follow up. It's just my right eye and it's treatable. If it doesn't resolve by itself then I will need to get laser ablation therapy which is a fancy way to say"burns away" the periphery of the retina, which has no normal blood vessels. That would mean that I would have to be admitted back into the hospital for a couple of days.
I am also going to see my surgeon next week...maybe I can get a two for one deal and get my eye done and my intestine reattached at the same time!
2 comments:
Dear Audrey, I'm Lola, and I'm one of your new friends. I want to say, "I love you, and I'm going to bring you cookies all the time[once you can have cookies, my Yaya says). And I'm going to give you some of my toys like my Elmo toys I had when I was a baby and some of my baby toys when I was a kid. I'd like to go visit you, and I will take you in my arms and say I love you. Your Friend, Lola
So happy to hear you are home, and we know you are a very strong and courageous girl. Glad you and Mommy and Daddy and your doggies get to have you home with them. We're your friends, and are sending you our love and good wishes. Keep drinking those babas.
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