Ray of hope for premature babies in Pune

Sassoon hospital will launch a new division on January 11 at its ophthalmology and paediatric department to treat kids suffering from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), also known as disease of vision. The centre will be inaugurated by Dr Renu Bharadwaj, dean of the hospital and BJ Medical College, in the presence of Niranjan Pandya, head of the HV Desai Eye Hospital.

“In Pune, about 28% of the babies are affected by ROP that mainly occurs in premature babies, which weigh less than 2,000gm,” said Colonel Madan Deshpande, chief medical officer, HV Desai Eye Hospital.

ROP occurs mostly in babies, who are born before 32 weeks of pregnancy and if not screened on time, the disease can cause blindness or loss of vision for a lifetime, he added.

In India, at least 25% to 58% of premature babies suffer from this ailment.

Bharadwaj told DNA that the centre will be started in association with HV Desai eye Hospital and the hospital will share the same diagnostic tool RetCam provided by an international NGO Sight Saver to the eye hospital.

RetCam is a portable digital camera that helps in taking images of the retina.

“It is observed that many premature babies and low birth weight babies have retinal diseases along with other disorders with ROP being a major problem. Retinal detachment in premature babies can be prevented by doing timely retinal laser or surgery. Hence early screening of the premature babies is very important in detecting ROP,” Bharadwaj said.

At the centre, screening and management of ROP will be carried out every Friday.