Frequency and Outcome of Retinopathy of Prematurity at Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Objective: To describe the frequency and outcome of Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Study Design: Observational study. Place and Duration of Study:Ophthalmology Department, Shifa International Hospital (SIH) Islamabad from May 2014 to December 2019. Methodology: All preterm infants with gestational age <35 weeks and/or birth weight <2000g were included while those born at greater than 35 weeks of gestation and having a gestational weight more than 2000g were excluded from this study. Studied variables included gender, gestational age, birth weight, form and duration of supplemental oxygen, systemic diseases, presence or absence of ROP, ROP stage, treatment, and outcome. Results: Six hundred and twenty-two met the inclusion criteria out of whom 316 were screened. The majority (n=202, 64%) of the screened infants were males. Supplemental oxygen was given to 244 (77.2%) infants. The mean gestational age was 31.94 +/- 2.2 weeks. The mean birth weight was 1632 +/- 446 g. ROP was diagnosed in 10 (3.2%) infants with stage 1 in 3 (0.9%) infants, stage 2 in 1 (0.3%), stage 3 in 5 (1.5%), and stage 4B in 1 (0.3%) infant. In the infants diagnosed with ROP, mean gestational age was 30.4 +/- 2.9 weeks, and mean birth weight was 1393 +/- 416 g. ROP regressed spontaneously in 3 infants with stage 1 and 1 infant with stage 2 disease. Infants with stage 3 disease also had disease regression after treatment with intravitreal Ranibizumab (n=3) or intravitreal Bevacizumab (n=2) injection along with concurrent laser photocoagulation (n=1). The infant with 4B ROP underwent bilateral vitrectomy with the complete attachment of retina on follow-up. Conclusion: There was a low frequency of 3.2 % of ROP reported in this study. The infants diagnosed with ROP had favorable outcomes following timely treatment of this dreadful disease.