1952 - Research identified the cause of retrolental fibroplasia, a condition that caused blindness in premature babies.

* Zacharias summarized and debunked various erroneous hypotheses about the potential causes of blindness in premature babies. * Her work helped lead to the identification of high oxygen levels in incubators as the primary factor by 1955. * This discovery was groundbreaking, revealing that the oxygen therapy used to support premature infants’ developing lungs at the same time disrupted blood vessel growth in the retina, leading to retinal detachment and blindness. * In 1956, her colleague Kinsey was awarded the Lasker Award, but Zacharias' name was omitted from the list of contributors.

Category:
Pediatrics

Completion Status:
yes

Patent Number:
N/A