The British journal of ophthalmology
-
Prematurely born infants are known to have an increased rate of ophthalmological morbidity. The aim of the present study was to investigate visual acuity and ocular alignment in a population of preterm infants in a geographical area, in infants with and without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ⋯ The overall incidence of subnormal vision and strabismus in children born prematurely was higher than in a full term population of the same age. On the basis of this study, follow up of all preterm infants screened for ROP is recommended and general guidelines are suggested.
-
To determine if the isoforms of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) are present in fetal, normal adult, and glaucomatous optic nerve heads. ⋯ These results demonstrate that TGF-beta 2 is produced in high levels in the fetal and glaucomatous optic nerve heads, perhaps by a mechanism of post-transcriptional regulation. TGF-beta may be important during development of the optic nerve head and, in glaucoma, TGF-beta 2 may be a mediator of astrocyte reactivation and extracellular matrix remodelling in the lamina cribrosa.