Retinopathy of prematurity in the Republic of Belarus: a ten-year epidemiological analysis and its impact on screening

Abstract

Objective. To analyze the dynamics of epidemiological indicators of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in the Republic of Belarus from 2014 to 2024 and to determine its place within the structure of pediatric ophthalmopathology and surgical activity.
Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of statistical data on ROP was conducted based on reports from freelance pediatric ophthalmology specialists and data from the State Institution “Republican Scientific and Practical Center 'Mother and Child'” (RSPC “Mother and Child”) for the period 2014–2024. Indicators analyzed included rates of preterm birth, distribution of newborns by birth weight (BW) (< 2000 g, < 1500 g, and < 1000 g), incidence of ROP, structure of disease stages, and volume of performed ophthalmic surgeries. The statistical significance of trends was assessed using linear regression (r), χ² test, and Student's t-test (p < 0.05).
Results. It was found that the average annual rate of preterm births was 3.9% (3335 ± 152 cases), and the proportion of children with BW < 1500 g increased from 6.8 % to 9.4 % (r = 0.92, p < 0.001). Retinopathy of prematurity was diagnosed in 7,022 (22.4%) preterm infants according to the RSPC “Mother and Child” data, which corresponds to 1.5% of all pediatric ophthalmopathology and is comparable to congenital eye anomalies (1.7 %). Over 11 years, the proportion of end-stage ROP declined from 2.0 % to 0.8 %, and ROP surgery consistently accounted for 10 % of all pediatric ophthalmic procedures (second most common in patients < 1 year).
Conclusion. ROP remains a major cause of childhood visual disability; growth of the extremely-low-birth-weight cohort necessitates refinement of risk-stratified screening. These data provide an epidemiologic basis for revising national eligibility criteria and follow-up schedules for infants at high risk of ROP.