40,000 children go blind due to eye complications annually: Seminar

Annually, as many as 40,000 children suffer from blindness in Bangladesh due to eye-related complications, including Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a condition known to cause blindness, speakers have said at a scientific seminar.

ROP affects 23.7 per cent of premature and low-birth-weight infants, they said at the seminar on ROP organised by the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on Sunday, referring to a BSMMU study. The seminar was conducted by BSMMU Assistant Prof Dr Samprity Islam.

According to the US National Eye Institute, ROP occurs in babies who are born prematurely or weigh less than 3 pounds at birth.

Prof Dr Kumar Dey, chairman of Department of Neonatology, presented a paper on "ROP: A Challenge for Intact Survival of Preterm Newborn”, and Prof Dr Nuzhat Choudhury, from Department of Ophthalmology, presented the paper entitled “ROP: Blinding of Neonates.

This disease affects newborns born before 35 weeks of gestation and weighing less than 2,000 grams, or 2 kg, especially those admitted to neonatology or NICU for survival.

A notable aspect of this disease is that newborns are not affected at birth. Even in the first 14 to 15 days, the disease does not occur in newborns. However, if ROP is diagnosed and not treated immediately, it can lead to blindness in newborns, according to the seminar.

Newborns weighing less than 2000 grams or born before 35 weeks should have an eye exam every 30 days, the seminar recommended.

Bangladesh has no survey ever conducted on how many children face blindness due to ROP in the country.

In cases where ROP is not adequately managed clinically, newborns can become irreversibly blind. Although ROP is preventable, once blindness occurs due to this disease, it cannot be reversed by any other treatment, the seminar speakers noted.

With the rise in premature births, eye problems are also increasing in them, which are now the leading cause of blindness in children.

Bangladesh faces a shortage of specialist ophthalmologists. The main challenges in treating ROP in our country include lack of awareness, insufficient referrals, and limited medical services, particularly in Dhaka, Chittagong and other major cities.

BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Sharfuddin Ahmed mentioned that since the establishment of the ROP Centre at BSMMU, 596 patients have been treated so far, with 23.7 per cent diagnosed with ROP.

Previously, 30,000 children in the country used to be affected by night blindness. However, due to the government's initiative, this number has been reduced to 10,000. Currently, 40,000 children suffer from blindness due to ROP and other eye problems, the BSMMU VC added.

He also said that there are very few retinal specialists in Bangladesh. Out of 1,400 ophthalmologists in Bangladesh, there are only 120 retina specialists which are insufficient compared to the requirement.

He also mentioned the scarcity of retinal specialists in Bangladesh, saying among the 1,400 ophthalmologists, only 120 are retina specialists, a number significantly lower than what is needed to meet the demand.

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