Prevent Blindness Kicks Off Second Annual Retinopathy of Prematurity Awareness Week

CHICAGO—Prevent Blindness, the eye health and safety nonprofit, has declared February 24 to March 2, 2025, as the Second Annual Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Awareness Week. The organization stated in an announcement that the initiative supports the comprehensive “Prevent Blindness ROP Education and Support Program,” which is designed to provide education and support for families of children with ROP, promote the role of early intervention programs for these children, and explain how allied health care professionals assist in continuity of care.

ROP is an eye disease that occurs in some babies who are born prematurely (earlier than 30 weeks of pregnancy); have low birth weight (less than 3 lb. 5 oz. or 1,500 g.); or have complications after they are born and receive extra oxygen for more than a few days. ROP affects the retina, and the back part of the eye, and occurs when the retinal blood vessels, which are not fully developed at birth, begin to grow abnormally and in the wrong direction, according to the announcement.

During the awareness week, Prevent Blindness will be sharing a variety of free educational resources with the public and professionals, including updated fact sheets, web pages, social media graphics in English and Spanish, and a new video series. The ROP Education and Support Program and ROP Awareness Week are supported by funding from Regeneron.

This initiative is a collaboration between Prevent Blindness, Hand to Hold, the National Coalition for Infant Health, and the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, to enhance and expand the reach of the program.

“We had such a tremendous response from our Retinopathy of Prematurity Education and Support program launch last year that we are thrilled to build on and expand these resources,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “Our ultimate goal is to empower families and provide health care professionals with the information they need to help save children’s sight from ROP.”

This year, Prevent Blindness is offering new, condensed versions of its ROP fact sheets, including:

● What is Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)?

● How is ROP Diagnosed and Treated?

● What Do I Need to Know About My Child’s ROP and Lifelong Vision Health?

Prevent Blindness said that the organization recently conducted a roundtable discussion, titled“Your Child and ROP- 2025.” As part of the conversation, medical experts, and parents of children with ROP shared experiences and helpful suggestions on accessing early intervention programs and the importance of adhering to follow-up treatment plans after leaving the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This recorded session will be published soon as a free video series available on the Prevent Blindness ROP website and as part of the ROP-dedicated Prevent Blindness YouTube playlist. These short-form videos will also be shared across Prevent Blindness social media platforms during ROP Awareness Week.

For more information on ROP, click here, or contact Prevent Blindness at [email protected].