Retinopathy of prematurity: An experience from small tier-II city in South India

Objective: This study aims to analyze the incidence, rate, and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a government hospital in a small tier II city in South India. Methods: A retrospective study with chart review of all infants screened for ROP in the NICU of a government women and child district hospital between April 2015 and November 2018. Results: A total of 609 babies (340 males, 269 females) were screened during the study period with a mean gestational age of 33.84 ± 2.2 weeks and a mean birth weight of 1.72 ± 0.42 kg. The incidence of any stage ROP and treatment-requiring ROP (TR-ROP) was 11.3% (69/609) and 2.1% (13/609), respectively. The mean gestational age and mean birth weight of babies developing any stage of ROP were significantly lower than those of babies with no ROP ( P < 0.001). Oxygen exposure and respiratory distress syndrome were other risk factors found to have significantly increased odds of developing any stage of ROP ( P = 0.001 and P = 0.0009, respectively). Among babies with TR-ROP, 61.5% eyes (16/26) developed aggressive ROP (AROP) and were treated primarily with intravitreal Bevacizumab injection; while the remaining 38.5% eyes (10/26) had type 1 ROP and were treated with laser photocoagulation. No eyes developed Stage 4 or Stage 5 ROP. Conclusion: This study describes the experience of screening and management of ROP in a NICU of a government hospital in a small tier II city in South India. Though the incidence of ROP was in the lower range, a relatively higher incidence of AROP reflects the need for improvement in neonatal care.