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Preferred practice guidelines for retinopathy of prematurity screening during the COVID-19 pandemic
Anand Vinekar1, Rajvardhan Azad2, Mangat Ram Dogra3
1Pediatric Retina, Narayana Nethralaya Eye Institute, Bangalore 560010, India. anandvinekar@yahoo.com.
Insights
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening is crucial for preventing infant blindness, especially in India. New guidelines aim to maintain ROP care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Public Health
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of preventable infant blindness globally.
- India has the highest annual number of preterm births, increasing the risk of ROP.
- Timely ROP screening and treatment are essential to prevent vision loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the Indian ROP Society's preferred practice guidelines for ROP screening and treatment.
- To address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to ROP care.
- To ensure the continuity of care for infants at risk of ROP during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Review and summarization of the Indian ROP Society's March 2020 guidelines.
- Focus on maintaining the screening and treatment chain-of-care.
- Consideration of pandemic-related limitations and hazards.
Main Results:
- The guidelines provide a framework for ROP screening and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Emphasis on adapting ROP services to ensure patient safety and timely interventions.
- The document outlines strategies to overcome logistical and healthcare access barriers.
Conclusions:
- The Indian ROP Society's guidelines are vital for preserving ROP screening and treatment services.
- These guidelines aim to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on preventing infant blindness.
- Continued vigilance and adaptation of ROP care protocols are necessary.
Abstract:
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of preventable infant blindness in the world and predominantly affects babies who are born low birth weight and premature. India has the largest number of surviving preterm births born annually. ROP blindness can be largely prevented if there is a robust screening program which detects treatment requiring disease in time. ROP treatment must be provided within 48 h of reaching this threshold of treatment making it a relative emergency. During the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in 2020 ROP screening was disrupted throughout the world due to lockdowns and restriction of movement of these infants, their families, specialists and healthcare workers. The Indian ROP Society issued guidelines for ROP screening and treatment in March 2020, which was aimed at preserving the chain-of-care despite the potential limitations and hazards during the (ongoing) pandemic. This preferred practice guideline is summarized in this manuscript.
