ABSTRACT
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a potentially blinding disease that affects premature infants in both eyes. In its advanced stages, the untreated disease can result in permanent and complete blindness. ROP is the leading cause of childhood and infant blindness in the developed world. In India, the prevalence of any stage ROP in high-risk babies has been reported to be around 47 per cent. The magnitude of the problem can be gauged by a closer look at the government’s census report. In 2008, roughly 27 million live births were recorded in India. Of these roughly 8.8% were estimated to be born below 2000 grams and are at risk of developing ROP. ROP has become a public health problem and an important cause of childhood blindness in the past decade. A high birth rate, increasing neonatal survival and better neonatal care has increased the potential ‘at-risk’ babies. The blue circle depicts the area of coverage in the pilot project.
