Objective To observe the retinal function of infa nts with retinopat hy of prematurity (ROP). Methods A total of 78 infants (156 ey es) aged from 4-5 months underwent full-field flash electroretinogram (ERG) examination. The am p litude and implicit time of a-and b-wave of ERG were detected to evaluate the i nfants' retinal function. Seventy-eight infants (156 eyes) included 33 healthy a nd full-term infants (66 eyes), 25 healthy premature children (50 eyes), and 20 infants (40 eyes) with ROP. Results Obvious ERG waveforms were recorded in all the fullterm and healthy premature children. Amplitude of combined b-wave wa s 388.7 mu;V in full-term infants and 336.7 mu;V in healthy premature children, whi c h was 64.4% and 55.6% of that of the healthy adults respectively. In infants wit h ROP, ERG was nonrecordable in 20 eyes (50%); amplitude of combined b-wave was 183.8 mu;V in the other 20, whose implicit time delayed obviously compared with that of fullterm infants. The amplitude of ERG of healthy premature infants de c reased significantly compared with that of the full-term infants. Conclusions Retina keeps growing after birth. ERG of healthy full-term chi ldren is not as developed as those of adults. The progress of retinal maturation in infants with ROP is slower than that in the full-term infants. ERG examination is an effecti ve method in evaluating retinal function of infants with ROP.