Javed Hassan, Nazish B Rehaman, Sadiqullah, Jamil Ahmed, Saifullah, Muhammad Imran Khan.
To determine the Causes of Severe Visual Impairment /Blindness in Children attending Schools for Blind in KPK.
Ophthalmol Update Jan ;16(1):480-3.

Aim: To determine the causes of severe visual impairment /blindness in children attending schools for the blind in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Material and Methods: This was basically a cross-sectional descriptive study. A sample of 106 children was taken using non-probability purposive sampling technique. Children with severe visual impairment and blindness were examined attending schools for blind in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Data of the students were collected using WHO designed form for severe visual impairment /blindness. Examination includes visual acuity testing using standard LogMAR Chart, Retinoscopy, Ophthalmoscopy and Anterior segment examination with magnifying loupe. Study was conducted from June to December 2013. Results: 3.8% of the children had visual impairment, 17% had severe visual impairment (corrected visual acuity less than 6/60 in the better eye) and 78.3% were blind. Retinal dystrophies (41%) was the commonest cause responsible for blindness followed by whole globe problems (19%), followed by lenticular pathology (14%) and the fourth factor the corneal pathology (9.50%). Conclusion: Retinal dystrophies were the major cause of blindness followed by whole globe problems. A high proportion of children were blind due to avoidable causes and consanguinity in parents was also high 62%. 95% of the children were having SVI/BL. The majority of causes acquired during childhood could be prevented or treated such as VAAD and measles.

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