What is fundus examination for premature infants?

As the name suggests, premature babies are children who are born prematurely. For such children, various parts of their body and brain are not fully developed, and they are very prone to illness. In order to do preventive work in advance, fundus examination should be performed when the child is born. Fundus examination is currently the simplest and most effective examination method, but many people do not understand this method. Let us now understand what fundus examination is for premature babies?

Fundus examination

It is very important, many diseases can be reflected in the fundus. The retinal blood vessels at the fundus are the only visible blood vessels in the human body. Doctors use them as a window to understand the condition of blood vessels in other organs. Therefore, its changes reflect the degree of changes in some organs to a certain extent. For example, retinal arteriosclerosis can be seen in the fundus of patients with hypertension, and capillary hemangiomas, small bleeding spots and exudates can be seen in the fundus of patients with diabetes. This reflects, to a certain extent, the changes in blood vessels throughout the body. Doctors can use this to analyze and determine the severity of the disease.

Fundus structure

What is the structure of a normal fundus? The retina is a layer of tissue as thin as paper. Because the choroid containing rich blood vessels is underneath it, the fundus of a normal person is orange-red, bright and shiny. At the posterior pole of the retina, on the nasal side, you can see a circular light red area with a diameter of about 1.5 mm, called the optic disc (i.e. optic papillary). It is the only way for retinal blood vessels and nerve fibers to enter and exit the eyeball. When suffering from certain eye diseases or brain diseases, the optic disc may swell, which is what we usually call optic disc edema.

On the outside of the optic disc, there is a slightly darker color and a reflective light spot in the central fovea, called the macula, which is the part with the sharpest vision. In the center of the optic disc, you can see the retinal artery and vein, which are divided into four branches. The arteries and veins always run together and move towards the periphery of the retina. These blood vessels are important for maintaining retinal nutrition.

The above are the fundus examination items for premature infants. Many expectant mothers do not know much about such examinations. Premature infants are more likely to suffer from vision problems and other diseases. Fundus examination can help prevent diseases in advance on the one hand, and achieve the goal of early detection and early treatment on the other hand, providing children with a good development environment. I wish every child can have a healthy body.