Welcome to the world, little one!

As a parent you want nothing but the best for your child. You want them to grow up healthy and happy, to study, to play, and see all the wonders of the world. You may not know this but somewhere between one to four out of every 10 children are destined to view the world through eyes clouded by retinopathy of prematurity or ROP.

Although treatments are available, the burden of ROP screening on ophthalmologist is a significant challenge. 

Meet Dr. Vivian Lanzelotte Lopes, a pediatric ophthalmologist from Rio de Janeiro, who has conducted extensive research on ROP, and Dr. Sophia Vidal, a retina specialist based in Buenos Aires.

They are here at PAAO 2023 to show us how RETeval^®, a handheld noninvasive ERG device, can make a difference in the lives of children affected by ROP.

Dr. Vivian Lanzelotte Lopes: “The biggest challenge is because we have many extremely premature surviving, we don’t have enough experts to perform ROP screening.”

Dr. Sophia Vidal: “In Argentina, we have the same problem. There are few specialists in ROP and there are many many babies. Both of us are retina and ROP specialists. What are you looking for in ROP screening device?”

Dr. Lanzelotte: “Cost effective device that could be used by other health professionals there are not ophthalmologists and send the screening results to us by telemedicine. So we could dedicate ourselves to the ones who are at major risk of developing severe ROP.”

Dr. Vidal: “What new things does RETeval bring to your practice in pediatric population?”

Dr. Lanzelotte: “I have been using RETeval for about one year. It’s very simple to use. We don’t have to use contact lenses, we use the skin sensors. So it’s very very practical to use on children and even on adults.”

Dr. Vidal: “I use it a little time, it is very useful. Also, with the kids, you can say it like ‘You will see a light, you will see a Batman, you will see a toy.’ “

Dr. Lanzelotte: “We have been performing the examinations with RETeval. The little children with nystagmus, opacity media, premature with opacity media that we can’t see the retina. We don’t open the eyelids of the babies for them to have reproducible growth. One thing that I think is important for you, for me, and for everybody, who work with children is that we are in the 21st century and we have to think about quality of life for them. A child with low vision or blind, he or she has a life-long burden for them, for society, and for his or her family, and I think we have to work hard to prevent this.”

Let’s work together for a future where babies have easy access to the best possible eye care. Save them from ROP and ensure their vision.

Eye care practitioners, especially in regions like Latin America: Consider integrating RETeval into your ROP screening protocol to ensure the best outcomes for your patients. 

Check out LKC’s website to learn more about RETeval.