Research Briefs: May/June 2026

RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY ASSOCIATED WITH STRABISMUS DEVELOPMENT

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) increases the risk of subsequent stra-bismus, particularly in those who undergo ROP treatment, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Specifically, at 5 years, the total incidence of the binocular vision disorder was 34.78% in treated patients versus 22.14% in untreated patients, with esodeviations the most common subtype in both treated and untreated patients. The study was comprised of 27,720 ROP patients younger than 18 years of age, with 973 treated and 26,747 untreated. 

Implementation in practice.Children who have ROP, in particular, should be closely moni-tored for strabismus.

IRREGULAR SLEEP ASSOCIATED WITH AGE-RELATED EYE DISEASES

A low sleep regularity index (SRI) was consistently linked with a higher risk (HR) of developing age-related macular degeneration (HR: 0.87), cataract (HR: 0.95), and glaucoma (HR: 0.89), according to a recent study in Sleep. Also, SRI declined markedly with increasing ocular multimorbidity. On the other hand, high SRI was linked with greater macular, retinal ganglion cell, and retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses, as well as superior retinal vascular geometry, the study reveals. The study was comprised of 78,839 adults.

Implementation in practice. As this study’s findings show that sleep regularity correlates with ocular aging, it may make sense to include the importance of sleep regularity in your discussions with patients.

PERIPHERAL RETINAL PATHOLOGY COMMON IN PEDIATRIC MYOPIC PATIENTS 

The occurrence of abnormal peripheral retinal findings is more prevalent in pediatric patients who have myopia, according to a recent study in Optometry Vision Science. Specifically, the frequency of such findings increased with myopia severity, with close to half (44.8%) of patients with greater than 3.00 D of myopia having at least one abnormal finding.

Implementation in practice. The study’s researchers say that these results “underscore the importance of a comprehensive dilated retinal evaluation in children, particularly those with myopia.”