Retinopathy of prematurity prevention, screening and treatment programmes: Progress in India

Deepak Chawla1, Ashok Deorari2

  • 1Department of Neonatology, Government Medical College Hospital, Chandigarh, India.

Insights

India faces a high burden of preterm births, increasing the risk of retinopathy of prematurity. Various screening strategies are being evaluated to improve coverage for at-risk neonates nationwide.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Neonatology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • India has the highest number of preterm births globally.
  • Preterm infants are at significant risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
  • Expanding ROP screening coverage in a large, diverse country presents challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore diverse strategies for enhancing retinopathy of prematurity screening coverage in India.
  • To assess the feasibility of different approaches in a resource-varied setting.

Main Methods:

  • Training local ophthalmologists to improve diagnostic capacity.
  • Implementing tele-screening using wide-angle retinal cameras operated by ophthalmic technicians.
  • Utilizing low-cost retinal cameras by neonatal healthcare providers for initial screening.

Main Results:

  • The abstract does not contain specific results, but outlines ongoing testing of multiple screening methods.
  • These methods aim to overcome geographical and logistical barriers to ROP screening.

Conclusions:

  • Diverse and innovative screening approaches are necessary to address the high burden of ROP in India.
  • The effectiveness of training, tele-screening, and low-cost camera utilization requires further evaluation to expand screening coverage.

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