Frequency of Retinopathy of Prematurity in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of a preventable cause of blindness in neonates. Screening of preterm infants for ROP in Pakistan is currently under-recognized. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature and very low birth weight neonates (birth weight ≤ 1500 g and gestational age ≤ 32 weeks) in a tertiary care hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Civil Hospital Sukkur from 1st June 2014 to 17th June 2015. Preterm neonates with birth weight ≤ 1.5 Kg and gestational age of ≤ 32 weeks were referred for ROP eye examination as an outpatient were included in the study after taking consent from parents. Premature neonates with major congenital malformations, chromosomal anomalies or congenital cataract or tumours of the eyes or those who died before eye examinations or did not attend the out-patient department for eye examination were excluded. Eye examination for ROP was performed on all infants, at 4 to 6 weeks chronological age, by a trained ophthalmologist, having at least 10 years of relevant experience. Results: A total of 86 babies enrolled in the study. Of them, 46 (53.5%) were male and 58 (67.4%) babies were 4 weeks old. ROP was identified in 9 (10.5%) neonates at the first eye examination. ROP was significantly associated with birth weight (p-value 0.031), gestational age (p-value 0.033) and chronological age (p-value<0.001). Conclusion: It was concluded from this study that frequency of ROP was 10.5%. ROP is significantly associated with birth weight, gestational age, and age of the infant.