Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026
Protocol for Developing a Femur Osteotomy Model in Wistar Albino Rats
Published on: August 31, 2022
Retinopathy of Prematurity: AIIMS, New Delhi Experience
Sindhu Sivanandan1, Parijat Chandra, Ashok K Deorari
1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, and *Department of Ophthalmology, Dr RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences; All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Correspondence to: Dr Ramesh Agarwal, Additional Professor, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, (Newborn Health Knowledge Center (NHKC), ICMR Center for Advanced Research in Newborn Health and WHO Collaborating Centre for Newborn Training and Research, New Private Ward-1st Floor, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110 029, India. ra.aiims@gmail.com.
Insights
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major cause of childhood blindness. A robust screening and management program can prevent severe ROP in larger preterm infants, making it a disease of extremely premature babies.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Public Health
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of preventable childhood blindness globally.
- Improved neonatal care increases survival rates of preterm infants, leading to a rise in ROP cases.
- In low-middle income countries, ROP often presents with greater severity in higher birthweight premature infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the evolution of the ROP screening and management program at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi over three decades.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the AIIMS ROP program in preventing severe ROP.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of the ROP screening and management program at AIIMS.
- Characterization of ROP epidemiology in relation to gestational age and birthweight.
- Assessment of outcomes in preterm infants receiving high-quality perinatal-neonatal care and a structured ROP program.
Main Results:
- The AIIMS model demonstrates successful prevention of severe ROP in preterm neonates with gestational age of 28 weeks or higher.
- Severe ROP is increasingly observed in extremely low gestational age infants, aligning with trends in high-income countries.
- A stable ROP program coupled with high-quality perinatal-neonatal care is crucial for disease prevention.
Conclusions:
- Severe ROP is preventable in larger preterm infants through comprehensive care and dedicated screening programs.
- The AIIMS experience highlights a successful model for ROP management adaptable to resource-limited settings.
- Focusing on extremely premature infants is key to managing the burden of ROP.
Abstract:
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of potentially avoidable childhood blindness worldwide. With improvement in neonatal care, more preterm infants are surviving with a resultant increase in the number of ROP cases. In low-middle income countries, the disease epidemiology is characterized by the occurrence of ROP at higher birthweight in premature babies with greater severity at presentation. In this article, we describe the ROP screening and management program at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi that has evolved over last three decades. The AIIMS model demonstrates that with high-quality perinatal - neonatal care and a stable ROP program, severe ROP is a preventable disease in bigger preterm neonates (28 weeks or higher gestation) and largely remains a disease of extremely low gestational age babies- a phenomenon similar to that noted in high-income countries.