Newborn Eye Imaging Systems Market Size and Trends

Global newborn eye imaging systems market is estimated to be valued at USD 270.1 Mn in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 379.2 Mn by 2031, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% from 2024 to 2031.

Newborn Eye Imaging Systems Market Key Factors

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Newborn eye screening is becoming standard practice in many parts of the world due to rising awareness about sight threatening conditions. This boosts demand for newborn eye imaging systems from hospitals and eye care centers.

Increasing prevalence of neonatal eye diseases

Rising prevalence of various eye diseases among newborns can drive the market growth. In 2020, according to the report published by World Health Organization, more than 1 million newborns worldwide suffer from treatable eye problems every year. The occurrence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which affects premature infants, has doubled in the last two decades due to increasing number of preterm births and improvements in neonatal care. ROP screening is now recommended for all infants born before 30 weeks of gestation or weighing less than or equal to 1500 grams. Moreover, other congenital ocular disorders like cataract, glaucoma and corneal infections can also cause childhood blindness. This rising incidence of neonatal eye diseases has boosted the need for widespread and timely screening of newborns using non-invasive imaging technologies. Newborn eye imaging systems allow early diagnosis of these vulnerable eye conditions, which if left untreated, can cause severe vision impairment or total blindness. These systems offer distinct advantages over manual screening methods as these allow examination of the retina without any risk of infection or additional stress to the fragile newborn. Several specialty hospitals and NICUs are incorporating newborn eye imaging systems as part of their routine screening protocols to reduce the risk of vision loss in children. For Instance, In December 2023, according to the study published by the American Journal of Pathology, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) plays a significant role in neonatal diseases like bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). These conditions affect premature infants, with BPD causing lifelong lung damage and ROP leading to irreversible vision impairment. The study found that G-CSF levels were elevated in both mouse models and preterm infants with severe BPD, implicating it in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Mice deficient in G-CSF showed reduced lung damage and protected against retinopathy, suggesting G-CSF as a potential therapeutic target to improve outcomes for premature infants suffering from these conditions.

Advancing neonatal care

Ongoing advancement of neonatal care capabilities can boost demand for newborn eye imaging systems. Improvements in medical technology, practices and care settings have enabled the survival of extremely premature infants with very low birth weights. This has led to an increase in ROP cases as more infants are at risk of developing this vision-threatening disease. Healthcare systems and NICUs now have a growing population of high-risk preterm newborns in need of effective screening and monitoring for ROP. Eye imaging technology provides valuable clinical benefits that support the lifesaving work being done in NICUs. Features like non-contact capture of images and remote diagnostic capabilities address core needs of efficiently screening infants at their bedsides. This allows clinical staff to focus on critical neonatal care needs while still providing timely eye screening.