ROP Screening: Comparison of Pain Using Two Eyelid Retractors

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major cause of blindness in the world. Initial ocular examinations of infants at risk for ROP are generally conducted between 4-6 weeks postnatally. These exams are vital to protect preterm infants from blindness, but these exams have been shown to cause pain in this population. Currently two speculums are utilized; the spring loaded Alfonso and the screw loaded Cook eyelid speculum. There is no schedule for who receives which speculum during their exam. The objective of this study is to evaluate the pain response in the neonatal population, 32 weeks or less, and less than or equal to 1500 grams, undergoing a retractor eye exam for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening. The primary study aim is to compare the N-PASS pain score between neonates who received a ROP eye exam with the spring loaded Alfonso and the screw loaded Cook eye speculums.