Aim:To study the prevalence and causes of blindness in a rural south Indian population.Methods:3924/4800 enumerated(81.75%)subjects,aged 40 years or more from rural Tamil Nadu,underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examin...Aim:To study the prevalence and causes of blindness in a rural south Indian population.Methods:3924/4800 enumerated(81.75%)subjects,aged 40 years or more from rural Tamil Nadu,underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examination-visual acuity,refraction,intraocular pressure,gonioscopy,cataract grading(LOGS II),retinal examination,and SITA Standard where indicated.Blindness was defined using WHO criteria as best corrected visual acuity of less than 3/60 and/or visual field of less than 10 degrees in the better eye.The influence of age,sex,literacy,and occupation was assessed using multiple logistic regression.Results:753 subjects(19.2% ;321 males,432 females)presented with a visual acuity of < 3/60;132 subjects(3.36%,95% CI 2.80~ 3.93)were diagnosed to be blind.Cataract was responsible in 74.62% of eyes;glaucoma,cystoid macular oedema,optic atrophy,and corneal scars accounted for 3.79% each.Bilateral causes of blindness were cataract(78.63%),glaucoma(4.29%),optic atrophy(3.42%),cystoid macular oedema,and corneal scars(2.56% each).In 19 eyes(7.2%)the blindness was probably related to cataract surgery.Blindness was positively associated with increasing age(p< 0.0001).Conclusion:3.36% of the studied rural population was bilaterally blind,with cataract being the single most important cause.展开更多
文摘Aim:To study the prevalence and causes of blindness in a rural south Indian population.Methods:3924/4800 enumerated(81.75%)subjects,aged 40 years or more from rural Tamil Nadu,underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examination-visual acuity,refraction,intraocular pressure,gonioscopy,cataract grading(LOGS II),retinal examination,and SITA Standard where indicated.Blindness was defined using WHO criteria as best corrected visual acuity of less than 3/60 and/or visual field of less than 10 degrees in the better eye.The influence of age,sex,literacy,and occupation was assessed using multiple logistic regression.Results:753 subjects(19.2% ;321 males,432 females)presented with a visual acuity of < 3/60;132 subjects(3.36%,95% CI 2.80~ 3.93)were diagnosed to be blind.Cataract was responsible in 74.62% of eyes;glaucoma,cystoid macular oedema,optic atrophy,and corneal scars accounted for 3.79% each.Bilateral causes of blindness were cataract(78.63%),glaucoma(4.29%),optic atrophy(3.42%),cystoid macular oedema,and corneal scars(2.56% each).In 19 eyes(7.2%)the blindness was probably related to cataract surgery.Blindness was positively associated with increasing age(p< 0.0001).Conclusion:3.36% of the studied rural population was bilaterally blind,with cataract being the single most important cause.