Author(s): Priya Rani, Rajkumar E.R, S. Al-Sarawi
In this paper, we have reviewed the prominent disease in premature infants, Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) which has become the leading cause of blindness in children. We have also reviewed the existing retinal imaging systems and their screening procedures, particularly for premature infants. The classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) and its status, specifically in a developing country like India, has been discussed. The profile of the ROP babies in developing countries is very different from that in the developed countries. The screening cut off for the babies and the risk factors are also peculiar in developing countries. Current ROP imaging modalities have been analyzed and their limitations have been studied. Initially, ROP screening was done by Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy (BIO), which is considered as the gold standard for ROP screening. Later, digital screening for ROP was started, with the advent of RetCam and other digital cameras. Further improvements to these systems have been identified here that would improve the field-of-view, image acquisition speed, image quality and various other factors.