SCREENING FOR RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY: THE ROLE OF EDUCATING THE PARENTS

Purpose: Childhood blindness due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an important concern, but this blindness or severe visual impairment may be prevented if at risk infants are screened before occurrence of advanced stages. In this study, we tried to find the role of parental education about ROP in parents’ compliance for on-time attendance for ROP screening. Methods: Demographic factors and clinical information of all the consecutive infants screened for ROP in Farabi Eye Hospital during 2003-2007 were recorded and analyzed using independent sample T-test, chi-square and multiple logistic regressions. Results: Among 605 eligible infants, parents of 443 (73.2%) were given a simple written recommendation for their infant’s eye examination (group A), while 26.8% were given written information about the consequences of late examination (possibly blindness) and information about the date and place of a free of charge previously made appointment (group B). Mean age at first eye exam in group A was 51.9 days versus 41.8 in group B (P<0.001). The incidence of stage 4 and/or 5 was significantly lower in infants examined before 9 weeks (P<0.001). In group A, 81.2% of the infants were examined before 9 weeks of infantile age versus 95.5% in group B (P<0.001). Gender, being the first child and single or multiple births did not contribute to the time of first eye exam significantly. Logistic regression methods showed that after controlling for gestational age (GA), recommendation type had a significant effect on on-time attendance rate (P< 0.001). Conclusion: Giving sufficient information about ROP to parents and educating them about this potentially blinding condition, along with making appointments for them and presence of facilities for free ROP screening exams, can increase the chance of on-time screening.