title: Incidence and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity in England between 1990 and 2011: database study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the incidence and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in England, 1990-2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  English national Hospital Episode Statistics were analysed, for babies born in hospital and for inpatient admissions, to obtain annual rates of diagnosis of, and treatment for, babies with ROP. National data on low birthweight (LBW) babies, born <1500 g and therefore eligible for ROP screening, were used as denominators in calculating rates of ROP per 1000 babies at risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recorded incidence of ROP increased tenfold, from 12.8 per 1000 LBW babies in 1990 to 125.5 per 1000 LBW babies in 2011. Tretment rates for ROP by cryotherapy or laser rose from 1.7 to 14.8 per 1000 LBW babies between 1990 and 2011. In 1990, 13.3% of babies with ROP were treated with cryotherapy, which fell to 0.1% in 2011. Rates for laser treatment rose from 1.8% of babies with ROP in 1999 to 11.7% in 2011.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased neonatal survival, improved awareness of ROP and dissemination of guidance on screening and treatment of ROP will all have contributed to the substantial rise in recorded incidence of ROP between 1990 and 2011. Retinal ablation is now almost always performed using laser treatment rather than cryotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Oxford Eye Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Sally L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Painter
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Neonatal Unit, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.affiliation: Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Parul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.affiliation: Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Goldacre
authors.affiliation: Oxford Eye Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D001723:Birth Rate; D001724:Birth Weight; D017679:Cryotherapy; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: Child health (paediatrics); Epidemiology; Retina