Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader on Monday launched the west coast unit of Karnataka Internet Assisted Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (KIDROP).
The KIDROP is a telemedicine program for screening of retinopathy - a permanently blinding condition mostly seen in premature babies.
The program is run by the Narayana Netralaya Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology.
According to K. Bhujanga Shetty, Chairman of Narayana Netralaya, the west coast unit is the fourth on to be operating in the State. This mobile unit fitted with portable wide-field digital camera has so far screened 464 premature babies in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi since August. Of these 26 have been diagnosed with Retinopathy of which six babies underwent treatment, he said.
Trained technicians visit the Neo-natal intensive care units and screen patients. Treatment is given as advised by Retinopathy of Prematurity experts using telemedicine. Technicians are also trained to give treatment at the place child is admitted, said Anand Vinekar, Pediatric Retinal Surgeon and Director of KIDROP.
