Retinopathy of Prematurity in Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

AIM:  To find out the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity in neonates in a tertiary level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Objective: Identify the risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational hospital-based study. After clearance from Institutional Ethics Committee, neonates who were admitted in NICU during the period of 1st October 2016 to 30th September 2018 were screened for ROP. Details of the antenatal history, perinatal risk factors, and the predisposing risk factors for the ROP were noted in the predefined proforma along with detailed treatment history. Local eye examination was done by a single specialized retinal surgeon.

Results and Observation: Of the total 115 enrolled neonates, 72 were males and 43 were female babies. 6 were ELBW, 29 were VLBW and 63 were LBW babies. 80 were preterm and 35 were term babies. The incidence of ROP was 26.96%.

Conclusion - Prematurity and low birth weight were the most significant risk factors for ROP. The other independent risk factors for ROP were oxygen therapy (90.32%), RDS (87.10%), sepsis (48.39%), and blood transfusion (25.81%).