Retinal photography in the newborn.

Several pathological changes affect the eyes of newborn infants, one of the most important ofwhich is retrolental fibroplasia. The object of developing retinal photography in the newborn was to record the appearance of blood vessels in premature infants who are at risk of developing retrolental fibroplasia. In addition it has proved possible to record the normal appearance of the newborn fundus at varying gestational ages and the patterns of retinal haemorrhage, and to detect changes in the calibre of vessels in response to changing levels of arterial oxygen tension. In this paper we describe the method used, and some of the findings in the normal newborn fundus.