Premature infants,weighing less than 1700 gms,run risk of blindness

Chandigarh, Oct 27 (UNI) Premature infants, born before 32 weeks of pregnancy and weighing less than 1700 grams, run a high risk of developing blindness due to ''Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)'', according to opthalmologists at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research here.

This is among various topics being dicussed at the three-day North Zone Opthalmological Society conference that began at the PGIMER today, Prof Amod Gupta, Head of Opthalmology Department, said at a press conference here.

ROP is the abnormal growth of blood vessels within retina of the eye and vitreous that occurs in some premature infants. Abnormal blood vessel growth does not deliver nutrients to the retina. The progression to later stages of ROP can lead to the formation of scar tissue on the retina and subsequent retinal detachment.

The infants need to be screened for ROP between four to six weeks of birth and any delay in it would lead to incurable blindness in the infant, Dr M R Dogra said.

About 90 per cent of infants with ROP could be saved from blindness if screened well in time, he said.

The conference will include instruction courses on Fundus Fluorescein, Angiography, Eye injuries, Glaucoma and catract surgey.

The main highlight of the conference is symposium on Paediatric Opthalmology which has been identified by World Health Organisation and the Union Ministry of Health as the major thrust area to prevent childhood blindness.

This symposium would focus on overview of childhood blindness in India, pediatric glaucoma, pediatric catract and Lay eye.

There are approximately 1.5 million blind children in the world and approximately 90 per cent of them are living in the developing countries, including India. Prof Gupta said about 60 per cent of the chilhood blindness is preventable and the conference would focus on this avoidable blindness.

UNI VKJ VD HS1833