Medical doctor develops program to treat retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Guatemala
Dr. Ana Lucía Asturias is being honored with the Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation in Medicine 2024
Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe, October 14, 2024 – In her capacity as Senior Physician for Pediatric Ophthalmology from the organization Unidad Nacional de Oftalmología, Dr. Ana Lucía Asturias is receiving the Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation 2024 in distinguished acknowledgment of her project “Retinopathy of Prematurity in Guatemala”. The award-winner developed a program to keep premature infants from going blind. The award from the foundation Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) is endowed with 100,000 euros and numbers among the most renowned distinctions in the field of development cooperation in medicine. The formal award presentation ceremony will be held on October 15th at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Berlin.
To prevent so-called baby blindness, Dr. Ana Lucía Asturias and the Unidad Nacional de Oftalmología organization have developed and established a program in Guatemala. The program has been implemented with the support of the Christian Blind Mission (CBM) since 2019. The Unidad Nacional de Oftalmología is a nationally active, partly state-run entity that provides highest-quality eye care at affordable prices along with training for professional staff. Key mainstays within the program are both the screening and treatment of preterm infants, as well as the active use of telemedicine.
“With this year’s award we are acknowledging an outstanding project in the area of child health. Through straightforward and very effective measures such as extensive screenings, a project that can distinctly improve children’s health,” is how Dr. Jochen Bitzer, responsible for humanitarian funding at EKFS, explains the award allocation. The project was nominated by CBM, a supporter of the program for years. “We are very pleased about this award,” adds Dr. Rainer Brockhaus, co-CEO of CBM. “With the work they do, Dr. Ana Lucía Asturias and her team contribute substantially toward reducing preventable visual impairments and blindness in children in Guatemala.”
Retinopathy of prematurity
The retina is not fully developed until around the calculated date of birth. In the case of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), this development has been interrupted. Particularly at risk are babies born before the 31st week of pregnancy, who weigh less than 1,500 grams at birth, and those requiring artificial respiration. In a worst-case situation, retinopathy in the newborn infant can lead to a detachment of the retina and progress to blindness.
In Guatemala, the number of premature births in association with a low weight at birth is high due to malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies. An elevated dosage of oxygen in the incubator and other readily existing disorders are additional risk factors. Moreover, standard medical examinations lack eye screening as an integral element.
Screening and treatment
In the course of the program around Dr. Ana Lucía Asturias, all premature infants undergo a screening at the Unidad’s Outpatient Department, which is affiliated with and adjoins Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City. Dr. Asturias clarifies the screening procedure: “We examine all babies born before the 36th week of pregnancy, as well as newborn infants who weigh less than 2,000 grams. This also includes preterm babies who have already been taken home and still have to be monitored following release. They continue to be looked after and cared for by us.”
To perform the screening on babies merely requires a strong light source and a lens. “The fascinating thing about the eye is that I’m able to see everything. I can monitor the blood vessels and their growth,” the ophthalmologist explains. The means for treating ROP include via laser or by injecting medication, for example.
Network and telemedicine
To make this service accessible, even in remote regions, the Unidad Nacional de Oftalmología and Dr. Asturias have built up a network. Of the 43 government hospitals with neonatal departments, 15 are affiliated with the program. In all of Guatemala there are barely a dozen eye doctors who specialize in children. That’s why telemedicine for training ophthalmologists is a crucial pillar within the project.
Yet another factor for the program’s success is the assumption of financial costs for examinations and follow-up treatments. Otherwise many families couldn’t afford them. In 2023, around 1,750 babies were examined within the scope of the project: ROP was diagnosed in 281. In the majority of them the disease disappeared all by itself. 55 preterm infants received the necessary treatment – either using injections or a laser.
Program objectives
The award money from EKFS is going to be used to advance and consolidate activities. One goal is to integrate more hospitals and expand the program nationwide. Cooperation with the Ministry of Health and educational training therefore constitute further key mainstays in the program. Healthcare staff are being schooled via courses given online throughout the country; all ophthalmologists in the process of obtaining a residency within the scope of specialization at the Unidad Nacional de Oftalmología are trained to perform screenings.
More information at:
https://www.ekfs.de/humanitaere-foerderung/humanitaerer-preis
The film about the award-winner is available for viewing as of 6 p.m. on 10/15/2024 at: https://youtu.be/OuVNXqpxzfU
Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation in Medicine
The Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation in Medicine is one of the most renowned distinctions in the field of development cooperation in medicine. The award is utilized to honor projects which serve to improve the provision of healthcare in an outstanding way. It is given once a year in conjunction with alternating topics and endowed with 100,000 euros – money which is used to directly benefit the projects.
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) – Advancing research. Helping people.
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the funding and advancement of medical research and the support of humanitarian projects. To date the foundation has funded around 2,600 projects. With an annual funding volume currently amounting to over 70 million euros it is the largest foundation in Germany that actively funds and supports medicine. You can find more information at: www.ekfs.de/en
Press Contact
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung
Bianka Jerke
Public Relations
Tel.: + 49 6172 8975-24
eMail: b.jerke@ekfs.de
About CBM
CBM is one of the leading international organizations for inclusive development. It supports people with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world and has been doing so for more than 115 years. Together with its local partners, CBM ensures that their lives are fundamentally and permanently improved. It provides medical aid to those in need and advocates for the equal participation in society of persons with disabilities. Its goal is an inclusive world in which people with and without disabilities can contribute and no one is left behind. Last year, CBM supported 379 projects in 40 countries. More at www.cbm.org.
Press Contact
Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM)
Cornelia Derichsweiler
PR Consultant
Tel.: + 49 6251 131-366
eMail: cornelia.derichsweiler@cbm.org
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Dr. Jochen Bitzer
Medical Development Cooperation
j.bitzer@ekfs.de
+49 (0)6172 8975-26
Weitere Informationen:
https://ekfs.de/en/humanitarian-funding/humanitarian-award/else-kroener-fresenius-award-for-development-cooperation-in-medicine-2024
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