The currently recommended method for screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy, which requires frequent eye examinations entailing a heavy clinical workload.

Weight gain–based algorithms have the potential to minimize the need for binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and have been evaluated in different setups with variable results to predict type 1 or severe ROP.

We synthesize evidence regarding the ability of postnatal weight gain–based algorithms to predict type 1 or severe ROP.

PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify studies published between January 2000 and August 2021.

Two reviewers independently extracted data. This meta-analysis was performed according to the Cochrane guidelines and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies (PRISMA-DTA) guidelines.