Michael Hunt, M.D., Eric Packwood, M.D., and Alan Norman, M.D., of Pediatric Eye Specialists, have been recognized in the New England Journal of Medicine for their roles on an investigative team that has developed a significant new treatment for neonates with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). The condition affects the development of retinal blood vessels, and can cause loss of vision due to scarring or detachment of the retina. Results of the study bring researchers much closer to preventing blindness in extremely premature infants.

Bevacizumb Eliminates the Angiogenic Threat of Retinopathy of Prematurity or BEAT-ROP was led by Helen A. Mintz-Hittner, M.D., of the University of Texas, Houston. Details may be found in the Feb. 17, 2011, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 364, no. 7. The study compared the efficacy of an injection of intravitreal bevacizumab monotherapy with that of conventional laser therapy in treating severe ROP and reducing the incidence of recurrent ROP. ROP is a condition that can lead to blindness and is one of the most common complications of premature birth. It is a leading cause of childhood blindness, occurring in the United States primarily to infants of low birth weight (≤1250 g). The results of the study will have a worldwide impact, positively affecting low birth weight infants in the U.S. and larger infants in developing countries who suffer from ROP in greater numbers.

Infants in the study met criteria for conventional laser treatment and often had the more severe forms of ROP. During the study, an injection of the drug bevacizumab into the vitreous proved to be more beneficial than the conventional laser treatment for these infants. A positive and lasting result of the newly tested injection method is the decrease in long-term effects of laser therapy.

Tyler* was a premature infant who spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. Barely weighing a pound, he was evaluated by Dr. Norman who diagnosed him with ROP. As investigators on the BEAT-ROP study Drs. Norman and Hunt conferred regarding his treatment and were able to offer the most advanced course of action available, injecting the test drug directly into the baby’s eyes. Today, Tyler is a thriving 1- year-old with normal vision.

James D. Marshall, MD, medical director of Clinical Research for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Cook Children’s, is pleased about this outcome and said, “Please accept my congratulations for helping to develop the most important new treatment for our neonates with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), the most common complication of premature birth causing blindness. Through your dedication to research and clinical care every day, you carry out the mission of Cook Children’s.”