How to take care of eyes for premature babies, prevent retinopathy

This article is professionally consulted by Master, Resident Doctor Dang Thi Ngoan - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital. Uncle used to be a lecturer in the Department of Pediatrics - Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and was granted a certificate in Pediatrics at home and abroad such as: Westmead Hospital, Australia; Hai Phong Medical University. Doctor has strengths in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in infants and young children.

Premature babies with a gestational age of less than 37 weeks are susceptible to retinopathy. Retinopathy can be prevented and cured, but if premature babies are not cared for carefully, they are at risk of vision loss or permanent blindness.

An estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely every year worldwide, born earlier than 37 - 42 weeks of a normal pregnancy. Of these, about 20 thousand children are blind due to retinopathy in infants and an additional 12.3 thousand children have visual impairment.
The reason is because while in the womb, the fetus has a dark, warm and quiet environment, in which to develop. Your baby can move around in amniotic fluid, and is provided with nutrients and oxygen continuously through the umbilical cord. But if born too early, the baby's eyes are not fully mature, plus the sudden increase in oxygen levels causes the blood vessels in the retina to become abnormal. In the case of retinal detachment, the risk of permanent blindness in both eyes is quite high.
Therefore, monitoring and eye care for premature babies is very important. Although infantile retinopathy is treatable if caught early, some eye problems can occur later in life. For children under 12 months of age, refractive errors such as nearsightedness or strabismus/strabismus and impaired vision are quite serious.

2.1. For babies Pediatricians say that the first hour after birth is considered a golden time to take care of the eyes of premature babies. The team of doctors and nurses can help reduce your baby's risk of retinopathy by:
Managing pain and discomfort for your baby Providing oxygen to help with breathing and monitoring the dose carefully Follow hygiene principles to prevent infection Encourage mother to provide nutrition to baby through breastfeeding Regulate body temperature in crib or incubator Keep baby warm with Kangaroo method - lay baby on top Mother's or father's chest, skin-to-skin contact In case the child's eyes show signs of progressing to the vision-threatening stage due to retinopathy, urgent treatment must be given within 48-72 hours.
2.2. Medical staff responsibilities The neonatal medical team includes nurses, obstetricians, paediatricians, and ophthalmologists as well as midwives who play an important role in minimizing dangerous complications from retinopathy in premature infants. Every doctor has to raise a sense of responsibility in:
Acquiring training programs, learning knowledge about retinopathy Propagate general awareness in the community, especially education for children's parents Ophthalmologists collaborate with neonatal clinics to screen for retinopathy Actively monitor infants and premature babies to detect and manage refractive errors and other eye diseases Share documents , eye care technology transfer and related issues with colleagues. For premature infants with mild retinopathy and partial vision loss, parents should be referred to supportive eye care services for premature babies as well as older children with low vision. If the child is unfortunately completely blind, which can lead to developmental delay, the child should be transferred to specialized rehabilitation facilities.

In order for the eye care process for premature babies to be comprehensive, parents need to continue to take their children for monitoring and screening for retinopathy after discharge from the hospital. This is very necessary work to help children's eyesight less negatively affected by this disease. The screening method is to use an indirect ophthalmoscope to examine and evaluate a child's eyes, usually by an experienced ophthalmologist.
Newborn babies may be difficult to detect strange problems in the retina with the naked eye, but the disease will continuously progress through stages from mild to severe in the following weeks. Therefore, the first screening should be done as early as 30 days after birth and follow up with the doctor's appointment, parents absolutely must not stop arbitrarily midway.
According to standards in Vietnam, subjects to be screened for retinopathy are all premature babies born before 34 weeks of age and with birth weight less than 2000g (2kg). In addition, newborns with a number of additional risk factors including respiratory failure, prolonged oxygen, anemia, infection... also need to be examined and examined.
From the cause of retinopathy, the most effective way to prevent the disease is to prevent premature birth. Pregnant women should pay attention to avoid factors that cause premature rupture of membranes, and manage pregnancy well so that the baby is born at the right time. When pregnancy is shortened but cannot be prolonged, special attention should be paid to eye care for premature and low birth weight infants. Take the child to get screened for retinopathy while he is still in the neonatal unit; Regular monitoring of children after discharge from the hospital, and strict adherence to the doctor's instructions are what parents should do to protect their children's eyes.
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.