Authors : Subhashchandra Daga,, Prajakta Sambare, Sucheta Kulkarni, Pravin Narwadkar, Chirag Bhalerao
DOI : 10.18231/2395-1451.2018.0018
Volume : 4
Issue : 1
Year : 0
Page No : 73-77
Design: A prospective observational study.
Setting: The study was conducted over a period of one year, from 01-07-2013 to 30-06-2014 at a hospital attached to a newly established rural medical college in India; located 45 km away from the regional eye centre.
Subjects: All babies, without exclusions, were screened for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) as per guidelines of National Neonatology Forum (NNF) of India, i.e. babies born < 34 weeks gestation and/or < 1750 g birth weight, and the babies 34-36 6/7 weeks gestation or 1750-2000 g birth weight, with risk factors for ROP.
Interventions: 53 babies were screened for ROP as per NNF guidelines.
Main Outcome Measures: 16 babies required laser therapy from the 53 babies that were screened over a period of one year. All weighed 1500 g or less at birth. Their GA was less than 33 weeks or less.
Conclusion: BW 1500 g or less and/ or GA less than 34 weeks, appear to be appropriate ROP screening criteria. Applying NNF criteria, no ROP would have been missed. In 19 (35.8%) babies screening could have been avoided. It is desirable to determine appropriate ROP screening criteria for a particular centre; based on local evidence.
Keywords: Blindness in children, Laser therapy, Oxygen therapy, Preterm baby, Retinopathy of Prematurity.