Table 2
Attributed cause of blindness among the bilaterally blind as determined by three different methods of assessment (WCE, EVD, and PVS) in communities mesoendemic for onchocerciasis, Kaduna State, Nigeria
| Number (%) of blind individuals attributed to cause | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Attributed cause | Reported cause at perceived visual status (n=221) | Diagnosis (right eye) at examination of visually disabled (n=296) | Diagnosis (right eye) at whole community examination (n=213) |
| *Trachoma was recognised as “lash irritation” or words to that effect. | |||
| †The word “filaria” was probably the colloquial term used to describe this entity by 5 individuals. Six of the 11 blind from “onchocerciasis” said they went blind after taking “banocide,” “itching tablet,” or “filaria medicine.” | |||
| Cataract | 13 (6%) | 29 (10%) | 14 (6%) |
| Trachoma | 2* (1%) | 26 (9%) | 20 (9%) |
| Optic atrophy in absence of other pathology | 0 (0%) | 12 (4%) | 24 (11%) |
| Onchocerciasis | 11† (5%) | 157 (53%) | 92 (43%) |
| Glaucoma | 0 (0%) | 14 (5%) | 23 (11%) |
| Other | 195 (88%) | 58 (20%) | 40 (19%) |
