Abstract
This study investigated Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a vision-threatening condition in premature infants. This is a longitudinal study.
Purpose:It aimed to determine ROP incidence in South Indian premature babies with specific birth weight and gestational age criteria.
Results: Over nearly 3 years, 513 premature infants were screened. Of these, 33 (6%) had ROP, with a female preponderance. Extremely low birth weight babies (40%) were most affected, followed by very low birth weight (19.10%) and low birth weight (3.48%).
Babies weighing <1500 grams at birth also had a risk. ROP-affected babies had birth weights ranging from 690 to 1660 grams and gestational ages from 28 to 36.5 weeks.
Conclusion:This study stresses the need for comprehensive screening as even babies >1250 grams were diagnosed with ROP, highlighting the importance of adhering to India’s screening guidelines.
