Tayyab Afghani.
Causes of Childhood Blindness and Severe Visual Impairment - Survey of the Blind Children from a Rural Population and Schools for the Blind in an Urban Area.
Pak J Ophthalmol Jan ;16(1):4-25.

Objectives: To investigate the causes of childhood blindness and severe visual impairment WHO/PBL in Pakistan using specific WHO/PBL form. Design and Setting: Cross-sectional survey of children attending 3 schools for the blind in an urban area and registered non-blind school children from a rural area. Main outcome measures: Proportion of blind children with blindness from different causes and number of children in need of surgical, medical or low vision services. Results: The lens, the retina and the whole globe were involved in 24%, 23%, and 22% of children, respectively. Hereditary etiology was the most common and was identified in 47% of children followed by 44% of children in whom no underlying cause could be identified. Cataract and glaucoma were the major diseases of unknown origin. Hereditary diseases were more common in the urban population. 54% of causes were avoidable, out of which 37% were treatable and 17% were preventable. Conclusion: Diseases of the retina and the lens are the commonest causes of childhood blindness and SVI in Pakistan. Heredity plays the major role. More specialized curative services are needed in rural areas, while more low-vision services are needed in urban areas. There are significant variations between the urban and the rural populations. Blind school study is a reasonable measure to study the causes of childhood blindness in general population.

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