Steroid treatment in very low birth weight infants may contribute to vision problems

It has long been suspected that steroids may have negative neurodevelopmental effects on very premature infants. In a new study, researchers found that for very premature infants with birth weights of less than 500 grams, there was a 1.6 times increased risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and a 1.7 times greater chance for advanced ROP.