Kanika Singh, Chetan Khare, Priti Singh, Samendra Karkhur, Vidhya Verma, Saroj Gupta
Due to highly variable neonatal care, regional ROP screening guidelines should be followed for timely diagnosis and management of ROP to achieve optimal outcome. There is a need for specific programs for ROP awareness among parents and healthcare staff to emphasize the need for timely screening, appropriate scheduling, consistent follow-up and the availability and effectiveness of various treatment modalities, in order to prevent this potentially avoidable cause of blindness.
PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants screened at a tertiary level hospital in central India, and to assess the level of ROP awareness among the parents/guardians with the help of a self-designed questionnaire.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study over 18 months included 252 infants screened for ROP. Risk factors were recorded, and parents/guardians completed a questionnaire. Statistical analysis done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.
RESULTS: Among the 252 infants screened, 86 (34.1%) were diagnosed with ROP. Of the total cohort, nine (3.6%) had type 1 ROP, 14 (5.6%) had aggressive retinopathy of prematurity (AROP), seven (2.8%) had hybrid ROP, and 10 (4.0%) had advanced stage 4 or 5 disease. The mean gestational age (GA) and birth weight in ROP infants was observed to be 30.59 ± 3.12 weeks and 1215.01 ± 309.54 grams, respectively. Low birth weight (LBW), prematurity, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay >2 weeks, oxygen supplementation >1 week and phototherapy are the significant risk factors for ROP, observed in this study. Out of 252, only 30 guardians/parents had heard of ROP and were aware of its blinding nature (11.9%), 28 knew that prematurity and LBW are the potential risk factors for development of ROP (11.1%), and 27 were aware that it can be treated (10.7%).
CONCLUSION: Due to highly variable neonatal care, regional ROP screening guidelines should be followed for timely diagnosis and management of ROP to achieve optimal outcome. There is a need for specific programs for ROP awareness among parents and healthcare staff to emphasize the need for timely screening, appropriate scheduling, consistent follow-up and the availability and effectiveness of various treatment modalities, in order to prevent this potentially avoidable cause of blindness.