Retinopathy of Prematurity Screening Criteria in Turkey’s South Marmara Region

INTRODUCTION: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in premature infants and a growing problem in middle and low income countries. In order to prevent ROP, effective screening, prevention, and treatment programs are essential, they should be modified according to each country’s requirements.In this study, we offered modified screening criteria for Turkish children.
METHODS: The medical records of the patients who had ROP screening between January 2015 and May 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.Five different criteria were applied to all 1,720 babies, as follows: ≤ 35 weeks and/or 2,600 g, ≤ 34 weeks and/or 2,400 g, ≤ 33 weeks and/or 2,100 g, ≤ 32 weeks and/or 2,000 g, and ≤ 31 weeks and/or 1,800 g. The sensitivities and specificities were found for all the strategies.
RESULTS: In this study, a total of 1,720 babies screened for ROP (774 girls and 946 boys) were evaluated retrospectively.The mean GA of the babies examined was 32.1 ± 2.9 weeks (range 24–36 weeks), and the mean BW of the babies screened was 1,817 ± 594 g (range 510–3360 g). ROP was diagnosed in 430 (25%) of the patients, and of these, 165 (9% of all patients) required treatment.Overall, the screening protocols of ≤ 33 weeks of gestational age (GA) and ≤ 2,100 g of birth weight (BW) had 100% sensitivity to detect treatment-requiring babies.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The screening protocols used in highly developed countries are not suitable for all countries, especially for low and middle income countries. Thus, the criteria may miss high number of ROP treatment-requiring patients. Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) should coordinate system and continuously update the ROP screening guidelines so that these data could form a basis for the national ROP standards. We recommend screening premature patients of ≤ 33 weeks of GA or ≤ 2,100 g of BW for our region