Results of initial screening for retinopathy of prematurity at a tertiary hospital

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence and severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and its associated factors on initial examination of infants screened at a tertiary hospital. Methods: A descriptive retrospective study was done using clinical charts of infants screened for ROP at a tertiary hospital from January 2007 to August 2009. Results of the initial examination were collated and analyzed. Results: A total of 112 eyes of 56 infants were screened. Upon initial examination, 21(18.75%) eyes of 11 infants were positive for ROP. Of these, 14 (12.5%) eyes of 8 infants had severe ROP warranting laser or surgical intervention. Sixty-nine (61.6%) eyes of 35 infants had immature retina, while 22 (19.64%) eyes of 11 infants had mature retina. Three (2.68%) eyes had stage 5 ROP. The infants with stage 5 ROP had mean gestational age of 28 6/7 weeks by LMP and mean birth weight of 1,282 grams. The positive cases were most commonly associated with oxygen exposure (100%), sepsis (85.71%), and blood transfusion (80.95%). Conclusion: The finding of more than half of the positive cases warranting laser or surgical interventions on initial examination merits re-evaluation of screening recommendations and their timing.

Keywords

• retinopathy of prematurity
• gestational age
• sepsis
• oxygen exposure
• birth weight