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Br J Ophthalmol 2006;90:407-410 doi:10.1136/bjo.2005.081406
  • World view

Prevalence and causes of blindness in the rural population of the Chennai Glaucoma Study

  1. L Vijaya1,
  2. R George1,
  3. H Arvind1,
  4. M Baskaran1,
  5. P Raju1,
  6. S V Ramesh1,
  7. P G Paul1,
  8. G Kumaramanickavel1 and
  9. C McCarty2
  1. 1Glaucoma Project, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
  2. 2Marshfield Medical Research Foundation, WI, USA
  1. Correspondence to: Dr L Vijaya Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, 18 College Road, Chennai, India 600 006; chennaigs{at}rediffmail.com
  • Accepted 6 December 2005

Abstract

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 (LOCS 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 to 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.

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