Related Experiment Videos
Childhood blindness in India: causes in 1318 blind school students in nine states
J S Rahi1, S Sripathi, C E Gilbert
1International Centre for Eye Health, Department of Preventive Ophthalmology, London, UK.
Insights
Preventing childhood blindness in India requires understanding its causes. This study identified major causes like corneal issues, congenital anomalies, retinal dystrophies, and cataracts, guiding public health and specialist services.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- An estimated 200,000 children in India suffer from severe visual impairment or blindness.
- Childhood blindness data is crucial for resource allocation in preventive and curative services.
- Previous studies lacked multi-state representation in this industrializing nation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the major causes of severe visual impairment and blindness in Indian children.
- To provide data representative of the entire country for effective intervention strategies.
- To inform public health and specialist services for managing childhood blindness.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the World Health Organization/PBL Programme's Record for Children with Blindness and Low Vision.
- Conducted a multi-state study examining 1411 children across 22 schools in nine Indian states.
- Involved examinations by an ophthalmologist and optometrist for 1318 children with severe visual impairment/blindness.
Main Results:
- The primary causes of severe visual impairment/blindness (SVI/BL) were: corneal staphyloma/scar/phthisis bulbi (26.4%, linked to vitamin A deficiency), microphthalmos/anophthalmos/coloboma (20.7%), retinal dystrophies/albinism (19.3%), and cataract/uncorrected aphakia/amblyopia (12.3%).
- The pattern of causes is intermediate between developing and industrialized nations.
- Vitamin A deficiency-related corneal issues remain a significant, preventable cause.
Conclusions:
- The findings highlight the need for integrated strategies combining preventive public health measures and specialized pediatric ophthalmic care.
- Addressing vitamin A deficiency is critical for reducing preventable childhood blindness.
- The study provides essential data for targeted interventions to combat childhood blindness in India.
Abstract:
It is estimated that at least 200,000 children in India have severe visual impairment or blindness and approximately 15,000 are in schools for the blind. Although this represents a small percentage of the estimated 5 million blind in India, it is significant in terms of 'blind-years'. Strategies to combat childhood blindness require accurate data on the causes to allocate resources to appropriate preventive and curative services. Since socio-economic factors vary in different areas of this industrializing country data should be representative of the country as a whole. This is the first multi-state study to be undertaken in India using the Record for Children with Blindness and Low Vision from the World Health Organization/PBL Programme. A total of 1411 children in 22 schools from nine states in different geographical zones were examined by an ophthalmologist and optometrist. Of these, 1318 children were severely visually impaired or blind (SVI/BL). The major causes of SVI/BL in this study were: (1) corneal staphyloma, scar and phthisis bulbi (mainly attributable to vitamin A deficiency) in 26.4%; (2) microphthalmos, anophthalmos and coloboma in 20.7%; (3) retinal dystrophies and albinism in 19.3%; and (4) cataract, uncorrected aphakia and amblyopia in 12.3%. This mixed pattern of causes lies in an intermediate position between the patterns seen in developing countries and those seen in industrialised countries. The causes identified indicate the importance both of preventive public health strategies and of specialist paediatric ophthalmic and optical services in the management of childhood blindness in India.