JPMC offers free treatment of eye disease among premature babies

Medical experts have warned of a rise in cases of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) among premature infants in Karachi, cautioning that lack of timely screening could lead to permanent blindness.

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) offers free treatment, said a senior official of the public healthcare facility, urging doctors to refer such children to the hospital at the earliest for timely intervention.

JPMC Ophthalmology Department Heat Professor Dr Israr Ahmed Bhutto told The Express Tribune that ROP is a condition affecting babies born before 30 weeks of gestation and weighing less than 1.5 kilogrammes. "The disease has no obvious symptoms. Abnormal growth of retinal blood vessels occurs, which only specialists can detect. ROP has five stages, with the fourth and fifth being the most dangerous. Parents may notice squinting, constant eye movement or a whitish film in the eye at these stages," he explained.

Dr Bhutto stressed that every baby born before 30 weeks or less than 1.5kgs must undergo screening, usually while admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Using advanced RetCam imaging, doctors capture retinal photographs to determine the stage of disease and decide whether surgery, laser therapy, or weekly anti-VEGF injections (four to five doses) are required. He added that poverty and malnutrition continue to drive premature births, contributing to the rise in ROP cases.

JPMC runs a comprehensive ROP programme with specialised clinics, trained doctors, and a RetCam worth Rs47 million, operated in collaboration with the Patient Aid Foundation.