Every year, 35,000 children around the world go blind from a disease that affects babies born too early. Now, researchers in Sweden believe they have found a simple solution that could change that number forever.
The disease is called Retinopathy of Prematurity, or ROP for short. It happens when blood vessels in the eye grow incorrectly in extremely premature babies. In the worst cases, children need painful laser surgery or injections directly into their eyes to avoid losing their sight. Those treatments are invasive and destructive, and the children who need them face the highest risk of becoming blind.
But researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital have been testing something much simpler: ordinary cortisone eyedrops.
In the world's first study of its kind, they gave 100 babies born before 30 weeks of pregnancy either dexamethasone eyedrops or a placebo (drops with no medicine). All the babies had severe ROP, but not yet severe enough to need immediate surgery.
The results were striking. Only 20 percent of babies who received the cortisone drops eventually needed invasive eye treatment. In the group that received placebo drops, that number was 38 percent. That means the drops reduced the need for surgery by nearly half.
The researchers watched carefully for any side effects. They found no meaningful difference in complications between the two groups, and no signs of serious hormonal or metabolic problems.
"The results are very promising because the treatment is simple, inexpensive and noninvasive," said Ann Hellström, a professor at the University of Gothenburg and chief physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. "In a significant proportion of children, we were able to reduce the need for laser and ocular injections in very fragile premature babies."
The study ran at six university hospitals and eight county hospitals across Sweden between 2022 and 2025 and was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. It was the first double-blind randomized clinical trial of dexamethasone eyedrops for ROP.
The team is now planning to follow the children long-term to see how their vision develops and whether any late effects appear.
For families everywhere, especially in places where specialist eye doctors are hard to find, this news offers real hope. If simple eyedrops can prevent severe ROP, they could save the sight of children around the world who might otherwise never see.
"There is a great global need for simpler treatments for ROP, especially in parts of the world where access to specialist care is limited," Hellström said. "If eyedrops can prevent severe ROP, it could save the sight of many children around the world."