Changing challenges in the control of blindness in children

Abstract

One cannot address issues of control of blindness in children without first considering the epidemiology, as this allows priorities to be determined and appropriate strategies to be delineated. Control does not occur within a vacuum, and so it is also important to understand the context in which programmes are to be implemented, particularly in relation to development and povertyFthe distal risk factors that are powerful determinants of the incidence of disease in populations. Interventions need to be considered from the perspective of patients as well as providers if services are to be acceptable and appropriate.

An update on progress and the changing epidemiology of causes of childhood blindness worldwide

“…3 Approximately three-quarters of these blind children live in developing countries, and up to 60% of such children die within 1 year of becoming blind. 5 Although childhood blindness is relatively rare and comprises only 4% of total blindness, the impact is particularly tragic because children tend to live 40 years longer without vision than those with adult-onset vision loss 6 : the number of "blind years" experienced by children almost equals the total number of blind years caused by cataract in adults. These years are costly because the blind may have more difficulty securing gainful employment and because they require resources from the health care system and their families.…”

“…A revision of this definition was recommended by the International Classification of Diseases in 2006. 1 The 2010 WHO definition of visual impairment (Table 1) 2 comprises 4 levels of visual function: normal vision (category 0), moderate visual impairment (category 1), severe visual impairment (category 2), and blindness (categories [3][4][5]. Moderate and severe visual impairment are referred to as "low vision."…”

Pediatric cataracts: clinical aspects, frequency of strabismus and chronological, etiological, and morphological features

“…Pediatric cataract often leads to amblyopia and secondary strabismus (1)(2)(3)(4) . Early diagnosis and treatment to prevent lateral geniculate body atrophy during the critical period of visual development is important for the visual prognosis of children affected by cataract (5)(6)(7) .…”

Treatment success of laser therapy for retinopathy of prematurity in referred and non-referred patients

“…ROP-related vision loss, also called the "third epidemic, " is more common in developed countries, and many of these countries are establishing screening programs for its management (1,2) . Turkey, which ranks 90 th in the Human Development Index based on 2013 data, is one of the countries in this group (3) and is also in the high-risk group for ROP-induced blindness (4) . To address this, the Turkish Ministry of Health has launched a new national program in 2011 for ROP and planned to establish diagnostic and treatment centers across the country (5) .…”