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Incidence of retinopathy of prematurity in Singapore
1Department of General Surgery, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Insights
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) affected 34.4% of premature infants in Singapore. Low birth weight and early gestational age significantly increased ROP incidence and severity, informing screening program guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Public Health
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a significant cause of visual impairment in premature infants.
- Understanding ROP incidence and risk factors is crucial for developing effective screening programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and severity of ROP in Singapore.
- To identify risk factors associated with ROP.
- To provide guidelines for an ROP screening program in Singapore.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study conducted in Singaporean government restructured hospitals from December 1993 to November 1994.
- Inclusion criteria: infants with birth weights < 1250 g or gestational ages < 32 weeks.
- Data collection on ROP incidence, severity, and associated factors like birth weight, gestational age, and multiple births.
Main Results:
- 34.4% (72/209) of eligible infants developed ROP.
- ROP incidence significantly correlated with low birth weight, early gestational age, and multiple births.
- ROP severity correlated with low birth weight and multiple births.
Conclusions:
- An optimal screening program should target infants weighing < 1250 g or with gestational ages < 32 weeks.
- A first examination at 33 weeks of post-menstrual age is recommended.
- Findings support targeted screening to prevent vision loss from ROP.
Abstract:
The study was done to investigate the incidence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Singapore over a one-year period. Its relation to factors like birth weight, gestational age are also explored so as to identify high risk groups and provide guidelines for the implementation of a screening programme in Singapore. At the various government restructured hospitals from Dec 1993 to Nov 1994, 34.4% (72 out of 209) of babies, with birth weights less than 1250 g or gestational ages less than 32 weeks, developed ROP. The incidence of ROP correlated significantly with low birth weight, early gestational age, multiple births; the severity correlated with low birth weight and multiple births. There was a notably higher proportion of Malays in the study population (premature babies) than all the live births of the same period. From the results, an optimal screening programme should include babies weighing less than 1250 g or of gestation earlier than 32 weeks. A first examination at 33 weeks of post-menstrual age is suggested.
