Retinopathy praematurorum (RP) is one of the most frequent causes of severe eyesight damage or blindness of the child age in advanced countries. The incidence in advanced countries was growing in the eighties in connection with increasing survival of extremely immature newborns. A similar trend may be expected to occur in developing countries and some transforming countries of Europe. In a retrospective analysis the authors evaluated the occurrence ofRPduring 6-year period in 201 surviving newborns of the birth weight below 1.500 g and 51 newborns with birth weight below 1.000 g, respectively. The occurrence of RP in newborns of low birth weight reported in literature is described. New information on the etiopathogenesis of RP is also presented.

        Key words: retinopathy praematurorum, newborn of lower birth weight, incidence of RP, etiopathogenesis of RP