{
  "abstract": "Purpose\n\nTo characterize cone photoreceptor alterations using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) and explore their relationships with retinal structure, visual function, and ocular biometry in children with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).Design\n\nProspective observational case series.Participants\n\nA total of 313 eyes from 162 children were included, comprising full-term controls, preterm children without ROP, children with regressed ROP, and children with ROP treated with laser photocoagulation (LP), intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy, or combined therapy.Methods\n\nParticipants underwent AO-SLO, swept-source OCT, best-corrected visual acuity testing, and ocular biometry. Cone density, dispersion, and regularity were evaluated across retinal regions. Between-group interpretation emphasized temporal cone metrics, and secondary exploratory analyses evaluated associations with retinal structural, visual, and biometric parameters.Main outcome measures\n\nAdaptive optics SLO-derived cone density, cone dispersion, and cone regularity across retinal regions, with temporal cone metrics considered the main region of interest.Results\n\nAmong the clinically defined ROP subgroups, overall group differences in cone metrics were identified predominantly in the temporal region after multivariable adjustment (P < 0.05). In Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons, the LP + intravitreal injection clinical-background group showed lower temporal cone regularity than preterm children without ROP (94.5% vs. 96.4%; adjusted mean difference, -1.92%; Bonferroni-adjusted P=0.001), whereas temporal cone density and dispersion showed similar directional but nonsignificant pairwise differences. Laser-treated eyes showed greater inner retinal thickness (IRT) in selected regions (P ≤ 0.006). Temporal cone regularity showed a weak positive association with temporal IRT (r = 0.10, generalized estimating equation-derived P=0.046; Table S6), whereas broader correlations between AO-SLO parameters and OCT measurements were generally limited.Conclusions\n\nAdaptive optics SLO identified selective temporal cone photoreceptor mosaic alterations in children with ROP, most consistently reflected by reduced temporal cone regularity, with directional differences in cone density and dispersion. These findings extend prior AO observations in ROP to a larger pediatric cohort and support AO-SLO as a complementary modality for evaluating cone spatial organization in ROP survivors.Financial disclosures\n\nThe author has no/the authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Shenzhen Eye Hospital, Jinan University, Shenzhen Eye Institute, Shenzhen, China",
    "Center for Preventative Ophthalmology and Biostatistics, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yaling Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jiannan Tang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xinyu Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yarou Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ziying Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhen Yu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiayuan Luo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mianying Zheng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Guishuang Ying"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Guoming Zhang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1x4dn3pj0k6ys.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.xops.2026.101412",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13717863/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "1x4dn3pj0k6ys",
  "issns": [
    "2666-9145"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13717863",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2741|Retinopathy of Prematurity Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213937138",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13717863/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13717863",
  "pmid": "42960037",
  "published": "2026-09-21",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1x4dn3pj0k6ys.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:39Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13717863",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13717863"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:52Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42960037",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960037"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:22:05Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13717863",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xops.2026.101412"
    }
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2741|Retinopathy of Prematurity Studies",
      "subfield": "imaging"
    }
  ],
  "title": "High-Resolution Characterization of Cone Photoreceptor Mosaic Alterations in Retinopathy of Prematurity Using Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy",
  "title_text": "High-Resolution Characterization of Cone Photoreceptor Mosaic Alterations in Retinopathy of Prematurity Using Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-02T12:22:05Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1x4dn3pj0k6ys",
  "venue": "Ophthalmology science",
  "versions": []
}