Re: Must screening examinations for retinopathy of prematurity necessarily be painful?

摘要

Dear Editor:We read with interest the article "Must screening examinations for retinopathy of prematurity necessarily be painful?" by Kirchner et al.We appreciate their use of a rigorous method for assessment of pain and stress response in neonates during retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening examinations.However, we have a few concerns about the conclusions drawn from the study that indirect ophthalmoscopy without scleral indentation is sufficient for screening of ROP because it is less stressful and takes less time. Our first concern is regarding the methodology used in the study. The study has not addressed the efficacy of the screening procedure without a speculum with any data about the diagnosis of ROP in the two groups. Interob-server variability of findings was not mentioned, and there is no masking involved in the study.