Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a potentially blinding disease caused by abnormal development of retinal blood vessels in premature infants. The retina is the inward layer of the eye that gets light and transforms it into visual messages that are sent to the cerebrum. It requires screening of the babies at a very young age of 1 month by a pediatrician. The examination must continue until the retina is matured completely. Dr. Maneesh Bapaye has been associated with the Neonatal Care Unit at Civil Hospital, Nashik.
He has been visiting every week for screening the babies since August 2016. Since then awareness among doctors and patients has been increasing. Every month number of babies getting screening has been steadily increasing. Yesterday, it was the completion of 3 years of this project. Yesterday 29 babies were screened and 1 baby underwent laser treatment, single-handedly by Dr. Maneesh Bapaye.