Purpose:
This work seeks to establish the effectiveness of a newborn screening program for detecting ocular pathology in the healthy, full-term neonate. The screening utilizes the Retcam wide-field digital imaging system (Clarity Medical Systems, Pleasanton, CA). Early detection may lead to treatments that can prevent blindness and visual disability.
Methods:
Neonates born in the Maternal and Children’s Hospital of Kunming, China, were screened within seven days after birth using flashlight, retinoscope, hand-held slit lamp microscope and wide-angle digital retinal image acquisition system (RetCam 2). External eye, pupillary light reflex, red reflex, the opacity of refractive media, anterior chamber, and posterior segment were examined.
Results:
A total of 3573 healthy neonates were enrolled in the screening program, with detection of 848 abnormal cases (23.73%). The abnormal exams included 769 retinal hemorrhage (21.52%). Of these there were 215 cases of significant retinal hemorrhage representing 6.02% of the total. In addition, 67 cases (1.88%) involved macula hemorrhage. The other 107 cases (2.99%) included: subconjunctival hemorrhage, lacrimal duct obstruction, congenital microphthalmos, congenital corneal leucoma, posterior synechia, persistent pupillary membrane, congenital cataract, enlarged C/D ratio, retinoblastoma, optic nerve defects, abnormal distribution of macular pigment, and non-specific peripheral retinopathy.
Conclusions:
Screening of all healthy newborns leads to detection of a significant number of ocular pathologies. RetCam photodocumentation is a safe, convenient, fast, and objective technique to screen newborns, enabling timely treatment and detailed follow-up including longitudinal observation of lesions.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: systems/equipment/techniques • screening for ambylopia and strabismus • trauma