An acceptable outcome of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), whether natural or after treatment, is not synonymous with the experimentally designated "favorable outcome" of the Multicenter Trial of Cryotherapy for ROP.1 Whereas their outcome grade II—macular displacement—must include eyes with significant visual disability, surely the goal of treatment should be the prevention of macular displacement.
In Table 3 of the report by the Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity Cooperative group,1 eight of 93 eyes that had one to four sectors of stage 3+ ROP in zone II had the study's unfavorable result, ie, a retinal fold involving the macula or worse. Outcomes of an additional six eyes were considered favorable, but these eyes may be visually disabled because of macular displacement, which would be unacceptable to ophthalmologists, parents, and patients.
If all the data were provided, ie, a breakdown of outcome from eyes with 1, 2, 3, or 4