SITI NUR AMIRA ABU KASSIM
@moh.gov.my
Ophthalmologist Ministry of Health Malaysia
Ministry of Health Malaysia
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Ophthalmology
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scopus Publications
Kenneth Teow Kheng Leong, Siti Nur Amira Abu Kassim, Jasvinjeet Kaur Sidhu, Zayani Zohari, Thivakar Sivalingam, Sunder Ramasamy, Safinaz Mohd Khialdin, Noraihan Mohd Nordin, and Jamalia Rahmat
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract Background The current practice for new-born eye examination by an Ophthalmologist in Malaysian hospitals is limited to only preterm new-borns, syndromic or ill infants. Healthy term new-borns are usually discharged without a thorough eye examination. This study is aimed at determining the proportion and types of ocular abnormalities detected in purportedly healthy term new-borns. Method This cross-sectional study is comprised of 203 participants, all purportedly healthy term new-born infants from the Obstetrics and Gynaecology ward at Hospital Kuala Lumpur over a 6 months period. The examination list includes external eye examination, red reflex test, and fundus imaging using a wide-field digital retinal imaging system (Phoenix Clinical ICON Paediatric Retinal Camera) by a trained Investigator. The pathologies detected were documented. The results were compared and correlated with similar studies published in the literature previously. Results Total ocular abnormalities were detected in 34% of the infants. The most common finding was retinal haemorrhage in 29.6% of the infants, of which 53.3% occurred bilaterally. Spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) remained the greatest risk factor which has nearly 3.5 times higher risk of new-borns developing retinal haemorrhage compared to Lower Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS). There was a 6% increased likelihood of developing retinal haemorrhage for every 1-min increment in the duration of 2nd stage of labour. Conclusion Universal eye screening for all new-borns using a wide-field digital imaging system is realistically possible, safe, and useful in detecting posterior segment disorders. The most common abnormality detected is retinal haemorrhage.