Underscoring the growing national footprint of KIDROP (Karnataka Internet Assisted Diagnosis for Retinopathy of Prematurity) programme — an initiative that began as a public–private partnership (PPP) with the Karnataka government — doctors from Narayana Nethralaya said the initiative has now emerged as one of the largest tele-ROP networks.
The announcement coincided with World Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Day, observed on November 17 annually to raise awareness on preventable blindness among premature infants.
ROP is a significant cause of childhood blindness, particularly affecting babies born before 34 weeks of gestation, or those weighing under 2 kg. Recognising the urgent need for equitable access to ROP screening, the hospital, in collaboration with the State Government, launched KIDROP in 2008, combining public infrastructure with private clinical expertise and technological innovation.
The programme now covers all government district Neonatal ICUs (NICUs) in Karnataka and provides tele-ROP screening across 190 public and private NICUs.
Nationally, KIDROP’s training efforts, targeting ophthalmologists, optometrists, physicians and technicians, have enabled ROP services in more than 300 hospitals in various States. Until October 2025, the initiative had carried out 3,92,648 screening sessions, examined 1,18,884 infants, and treated over 6,650 babies, preventing irreversible blindness in thousands of families.
