LV Prasad Eye Institute has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare, Andhra Pradesh government, to establish Newborn Eye Screening and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Control in the state. This will help in identifying serious eye problems in newborns that often get diagnosed very late and also eliminate ROP blindness by organized and efficient screening strategy.
ROP is one of the major emerging causes of childhood blindness in India and leads to incurable vision loss in prematurely born and low birth weight babies. Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the Neonatal Eye Screening and ROP Control in Andhra Pradesh (NES & ROP-CAP) Program, Dr T Geeta Prasadini, In-charge Director of Public Health, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said, “The Government of India has allotted `168.80 lakh towards the Programme Implementation Plan for the Year 2012-13 to establish Newborn Eye Screening and the ROP-CAP Program in the state for this period. With the program implemented under the able guidance of LVPEI faculty, we are happy to extend support to ensure that no newborn baby including premature babies in Andhra Pradesh be needlessly blind or visually impaired by 2020.”
General Ophthalmologists, retinal surgeons, pediatricians, neonatologists and nursing staff will be trained and empowered in diagnosis of premature babies for ROP and screening for all other newborns for any early onset eye problems. Training will be imparted to pediatricians. Training will be conducted at LVPEI and at the district level through CME programs/workshops focusing on increasing awareness on ROP and neonatal eye problems.
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