Study Of Retinopathy Of Prematurity In Infants At Pravara Rural Hospital, Loni

Abstract

Objective -To find out percentage of premature baby with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). To determine the staging of ROP and identify possible risk factors.

Background - Hospital based cross sectional observational study. Baby ( <32 weeks and birth weight <1500 grams ) enrolled from November 2017 to February 2018.First examination at 4 to 6 weeks after birth and or at 32 weeks of gestational age. Pupillary dilatation and topical anaesthetic eye drops used.

Result- Out of 120 premature babies 30 babies present with ROP (25%) with different stages and zones. 20 babies zone II stage 3 ,8 babies zone I stage 3, 2 babies zone I plus disease. Prematurity and low birth weight were found to be important risk factors. Babies <32 weeks of gestation and birth weight less than 1000 gms were affected more.

Conclusion- Although ROP has been recognized as an important cause of blindness in developed countries for some years, it is now becoming more significant in developing countries. Hence to prevent adverse visual outcome and possible blindness timely screening, recognition and treatment of ROP is essential.