Premature Babies in Pakistan Face Risk of Blindness

Doctors have raised alarm over a growing epidemic of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Pakistan, urging mandatory nationwide screening of premature infants to prevent childhood blindness. Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi's Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus explained that while neonatal care has improved survival rates for premature babies, it has also increased the number at risk of developing ROP.

Nearly a million babies are born prematurely annually in Pakistan, with an estimated 300,000 developing varying levels of ROP, many requiring sight-saving surgery. ROP, a potentially blinding eye disease, primarily affects premature infants, as blood vessels in the retina develop abnormally when birth occurs before full-term. Babies weighing less than 1.5 kilograms at birth face the highest risk.

Dr. Amjad, a ROP specialist, noted Pakistan's lack of a nationwide screening program, citing India's success in reducing ROP-related blindness through mandatory eye exams for premature infants before discharge. Advanced ROP treatment demands skilled pediatric ophthalmologists, specialized anesthesia teams, and advanced surgical facilities, but Al-Shifa Trust is currently the only facility offering these services in the country.

Despite performing around 560 free surgeries last year, doctors emphasize this is merely a fraction of the estimated babies needing treatment.