Chennai: India has three lakh premature babies born in a year.
If your baby is born before the expected date of delivery with low birth weight (less than 2kg), a retinal surgeon has to see the baby in 30 days, make an assessment on the growth of retinal blood vessels and follow it up until it grows spontaneously.
An event on the topic titled Kanmanigalin Kangal was organised at the Sanakara Nethralaya as part of World Prematurity Day and Children’s day programme.
A press release said babies born before the expected date of delivery with low birth weight are at potential risk for blindness.
“Infants born too soon along with other problems related to brain, heart, lung, etc., also face yet another threat in the eye which is called Retinopathy of prematurity. This is a disease were in the blood vessels of the inner portions of the eye fail to develop. Usually these blood vessels start developing well after 8 months of babies life in the mothers womb and gets completed by 10 months. If for some reason child is born before this stipulated time period babies run a high risk of having poorly developed retinal blood vessels which if not treated by a retina specialist (specialised eye doctor) can lead to childhood blindness,” the release said.
It further said if growth of blood vessels are not satisfactory then they have to perform laser under the care of neonatologist/anaesthetist. Sometimes an injection inside the eye may be required in addition to laser. With laser babies will have normal vision.
“If the above said treatment is not done within the said time your child may go blind in 2-3 months after birth as surgery in advanced stages of ROP is not very rewarding,” the release added.
The effect of Retinoblastoma (Cancer of the eye) and Cortical visual impairment were also discussed.