Efficacy and safety of laser therapy for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity: A protocol for systematic review of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a potentially blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants. Although a variety of managements are available for ROP, the efficacy is still unsatisfied. Studies have suggested that laser therapy (LT) may benefit ROP. However, no systematic review has addressed this topic. Thus, this systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LT for ROP. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search will be performed from electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, AMED, Cochrane Library, WorldSciNet, Science online, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and other sources. The time is from the database construction to the present. Two investigators will independently carry out literature selection, data extraction and quality assessment. We will utilize RevMan 5.3 software for statistical analysis. Data synthesis will be conducted either as a narrative summary or meta-analysis. Statistical heterogeneity will be appraised using I(2) test. If heterogeneity is low, pooled estimates will be calculated using a fixed-effects model. Otherwise, we will utilize a random-effects model to pool the data. RESULTS: This study will provide up-to-date evidence on the efficacy and safety of LT for ROP, which may help to assess whether LT is effective and safe for ROP. CONCLUSION: This study will provide helpful evidence to determine whether or not LT is effective and safe for ROP, which may benefit both patients and clinicians. STUDY REGISTRATION: osf.io/3tmnf.