Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is still a major cause of blindness in children in developed countries around the world, and an increasing cause of blindness in developing countries. The ablation of the retina with photocoagulation by laser or cryotherapy reduces the incidence of blindness by suppressing the neovascular phase of ROP. However, the visual outcomes after treatment are often poor. The development of ROP depends largely from vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The reduction of VEGF expression in the neovascular phase might prevent destructive neovascularization in ROP.~The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the administration of propranolol is safe and is able to reduce the incidence of blindness by suppressing the neovascular phase of ROP compared to a control group receiving conventional laser therapy.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the administration of propranolol is effective in the treatment of the retinopathy of the prematurity.