GUWAHATI, Jan 27 - The Department of Vitreo-Retina of Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya (SSN) organised an awareness programme on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) on January 24 in the auditorium of the institution.
The meeting was attended by the neonatologist, critical care personnel and medicos of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Retinopathy is an important cause of preventable blindness in children. At the Royal Blind School of Edinburgh, 10 per cent of the blind children are blind due to ROP. It is estimated that 6 to 18 per cent childhood blindness is due to ROP in developing countries.
At the meeting, the issue of ROP was discussed in detail with a particular stress on screening of all premature infants with low birth rate and early treatment if necessary, as the economic cost of childhood blindness and human misery is very high and ROP blindness is completely preventable.
