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Retinopathy of prematurity is a devastating vascular disease of premature infants. A number of studies indicate that retinal function is affected in this disease. Using the rat model of oxygen-induced retinopathy, it is possible to explore more fully the complex relationship between neuronal, glial and vascular pathology in this condition. This review examines the structural and functional changes that occur in the rat retina following oxygen-induced retinopathy. We highlight that vascular pathology in rats is characterized by aberrant growth of blood vessels into the vitreous at the expense of blood vessel growth into the body of the retina. Moreover, amino acid neurochemistry, a tool for examining neuronal changes in a spatially complete manner reveals widespread changes in amacrine and bipolar cells. In addition, neurochemical anomalies within inner retinal neurons are highly correlated with the absence of …