`Laser operation can prevent blindness in preterm babies´
(WorldNews India)

Nagpur: Generally, a pre-term or premature and low birth weight baby is administered oxygen for some time after birth. But this higher concentration oxygen can prove to be dangerous to the baby´s retina, and the baby can go blind if the required intervention by laser surgery is not done on time. Dr Anand Vinekar, one of the five paediatric retinal surgeons of India, told TOI that if the problem is diagnosed in time this blindness is completely preventable through a specialized laser operation. `This problem in medical terminology is called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Hence, every child born in less than 34 weeks of gestation, and with less than 2kg weight, should be screened for ROP...