Corneal Blindness in Leprosy in Eastern Uttar Pradesh

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Infectious Diseases
• Dermatology

Background:

• Leprosy, a chronic infectious disease, frequently causes ocular complications.
• Ocular involvement significantly impacts patient quality of life and visual function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and causes of corneal involvement in leprosy patients with ocular manifestations.
• To determine the contribution of corneal lesions to blindness in leprosy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 274 leprosy cases with ocular involvement.
• Documentation of specific eye lesions, including conjunctivitis, keratitis, iritis, and lagophthalmos.
• Assessment of causes for corneal involvement, such as corneal anesthesia, lagophthalmos, ectropion, entropion, and trichiasis.

Main Results:

• Corneal involvement was present in 118 (43.07%) of 274 leprosy cases with ocular issues.
• Common eye lesions included chronic conjunctivitis (54.01%), keratitis (47.07%), iritis (31.75%), and lagophthalmos (27.76%).
• Corneal blindness accounted for 55.6% of total blindness in this cohort, with corneal anesthesia and lagophthalmos as primary causes.

Conclusions:

• Corneal complications are highly prevalent in leprosy patients with ocular involvement.
• Timely intervention for corneal anesthesia and lagophthalmos is crucial to prevent vision loss and blindness in leprosy.
• Ocular manifestations, particularly corneal disease, represent a significant burden of disability in leprosy.