Causes of severe visual impairment and blindness Bangladesh -A study of 1935 children
- Mohammad A Muhit (mohammad.muhit{at}lshtm.ac.uk),
- Shaheen Pravin Shah (shaheen.shah{at}lshtm.ac.uk),
- Clare E Gilbert (clare.gilbert{at}lshtm.ac.uk),
- Allen Foster (allen.foster{at}lshtm.ac.uk)
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United States
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
- Published Online First 14 March 2007
Abstract
Objective: To identify the anatomical site and underlying aetiology of severe visual impairment and blindness (SVI/BL) in children in Bangladesh.
Design: National case series
Methods: Children were recruited from all 64 districts through multiple sources. Causes were determined and categorized using standard World Health Organization methods.
Results: A total of 1,935 SVI/BL children were recruited. The median age was 132 months, and boys accounted for 63.1% of the sample. The main site of abnormality was lens (32.5%), mainly unoperated cataract, followed by corneal pathology (26.6%) and disorders of the whole eye (13.1%). Lens related blindness was the leading cause in boys (37.0%) compared with corneal blindness in girls (29.8%). In 593 children visual loss was due to childhood factors, over 75% being attributed to vitamin A deficiency. Overall 1,338 children (69.2%) had avoidable causes. Only 2% of the country's estimated blind children have access to education and rehabilitation services.
Conclusions: This is the first large scale study of SVI/BL children in Bangladesh over 2/3 of whom had avoidable causes. Strategies for control are discussed.
