Maternal cannabis use disorder was not associated with increased or decreased risk of eye disease in premature infants
In a study of over 31,000 preterm infants, maternal cannabis use disorder during pregnancy was not associated with any change in risk of retinopathy of prematurity, a potentially blinding eye disease of premature babies.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among infants born at 22-31 weeks gestation, 32.1% of those born to mothers with cannabis use disorder developed retinopathy of prematurity compared to 33.3% of those born to mothers without CUD. After adjusting for covariates, the risk was identical (aRR=1.0, 95% CI 0.9-1.1).
Key Numbers
997 infants born to mothers with CUD; 30,113 born to mothers without CUD. ROP rates: 32.1% vs 33.3%. Adjusted relative risk: 1.0 (95% CI 0.9-1.1). No increased or decreased risk.
How They Did This
Retrospective cohort study using the UC San Diego SOMI population-based database. Included infants born between 22 and <31 weeks gestation and/or weighing <1500g who survived to ROP screening age. Maternal CUD and infant ROP identified from ICD codes. Adjusted relative risk calculated with log-linear regression.
Why This Research Matters
Given concerns about prenatal cannabis exposure on fetal development, this null finding provides reassurance that at least one specific neonatal eye complication is not increased, helping clinicians counsel pregnant women with evidence rather than speculation.
The Bigger Picture
This study contributes to the growing body of evidence examining specific outcomes of prenatal cannabis exposure, moving beyond general "cannabis is dangerous during pregnancy" messaging to evidence-based risk assessment of individual outcomes.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cannabis use disorder diagnosis (ICD codes) may miss mild or undisclosed use. Retrospective design. Single health system in San Diego. Cannot assess dose-response or distinguish CUD severity.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does the null finding hold for other measures of prenatal cannabis exposure beyond diagnosed CUD?
- ?Are there subtler retinal effects not captured by ROP diagnosis?
- ?Would a dose-response analysis with quantified cannabis exposure show different results?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- No change in ROP risk with maternal cannabis use disorder (aRR=1.0)
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate: large population-based cohort with appropriate statistical adjustment, but limited by ICD-code-based exposure assessment.
- Study Age:
- Published 2026.
- Original Title:
- The relationship between maternal cannabis use disorder diagnosis and the development of retinopathy of prematurity.
- Published In:
- Journal of AAPOS : the official publication of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, 104748 (2026)
- Authors:
- Tran, Melanie D, Baer, Rebecca J(4), Bandoli, Gretchen(8), Robbins, Shira L, Granet, David, Chambers, Christina D, Rudell, Jolene C
- Database ID:
- RTHC-08667
Evidence Hierarchy
Looks back at existing records to find patterns.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabis use during pregnancy affect the baby's eyes?
This study found no association between maternal cannabis use disorder and retinopathy of prematurity in over 31,000 preterm infants, though other eye effects were not assessed.
What is retinopathy of prematurity?
ROP is a potentially blinding eye disease that affects premature infants. About a third of very preterm infants develop it, regardless of maternal cannabis use in this study.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-08667APA
Tran, Melanie D; Baer, Rebecca J; Bandoli, Gretchen; Robbins, Shira L; Granet, David; Chambers, Christina D; Rudell, Jolene C. (2026). The relationship between maternal cannabis use disorder diagnosis and the development of retinopathy of prematurity.. Journal of AAPOS : the official publication of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, 104748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaapos.2026.104748
MLA
Tran, Melanie D, et al. "The relationship between maternal cannabis use disorder diagnosis and the development of retinopathy of prematurity.." Journal of AAPOS : the official publication of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaapos.2026.104748
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "The relationship between maternal cannabis use disorder diag..." RTHC-08667. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/tran-2026-the-relationship-between-maternal
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.