October 17, 2022
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital teamed up with retina specialists at Mass Eye and Ear to launch a new Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) program that allows infants to remain local while receiving specialized eye exams.
ROP affects retinal development in babies who are born prematurely, specifically babies born at less than 30 weeks and/or who weigh less than 1500 grams (or 3 pounds 3oz). Specially trained registered nurses at Wentworth-Douglass will perform the eye exams in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit using a specialized camera and images are then uploaded and read remotely by Mass Eye and Ear retina specialists.
The program is being co-led by faculty member Nimesh (Nemo) Patel, MD, an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, and Sergei Roumiantsev, MD, PhD, Associate Chief of the Division of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine and Medical Director of Neonatology at Mass General Hospital for Children. Read the full press release