Pediatric Ophthalmology

Pediatric Ophthalmology

Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, our sister facility, provide ophthalmology care to our pediatric patients. We have adopted a special screening program to examine the eyes of all newborn premature babies who are born earlier than 31 weeks of gestation by Moorfields ophthalmologists at Danat Al Emarat Hospital to avoid the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ROP is a potentially blinding condition that affects premature babies and is one of the most common causes of visual loss in childhood.

Moorfields ophthalmologists visit us on a regular basis for the screening program, and also operate on children and women who may need general anesthesia for eyes surgery at our operating theatres.
ROP Screening

Retinopathy of Prematurity (also called ROP) is an eye disease that affects many premature babies. ROP happens when a baby’s retina doesn’t fully develop in the weeks after birth.  As a consequence of premature birth, abnormal blood vessels are formed, which are fragile and can leak, scarring the retina and pulling it out of position. This causes a retinal detachment, which is the main cause of visual impairment and blindness in ROP. Some cases of ROP are mild and correct themselves, however, others require surgery to prevent vision loss or blindness. Surgery involves using a laser or other means to stop the growth of the abnormal blood vessels, making sure they don’t pull on the retina. As ROP has no signs or symptoms, the only way to detect it is through an eye examination by an ophthalmologist.

For more information about ROP risk factors, examination and treatments, click here.