Childhood Blindness: Causes & Prevention

  • Dr. Rabindran Consultant Neonatologist, Billroth Hospital, Chennai, India
  • Dr D Sharad Gedam Professor of Pediatrics, L N Medical college, Bhopal, MP, India
Keywords: Childhood blindness, Vitamin A deficiency, Prevention of blindness

Abstract

The global prevalence of childhood blindness is approximately 1.4 million. Nearly 500,000 children become blind every year - nearly one per minute.Worldwide, vitamin A deficiency is the commonest single cause of childhood blindness. Childhood blindness can be categorized as preventable & curable. Preventable causes include corneal scars due to vitamin A deficiency, infections & injuries; whereas curable cause includepediatric cataract, glaucoma, retinopathy of prematurity & refractive errors. Of late childhood blindness has been identified as a priority in WHO’s global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.Immunization, maternal & child health care, health education, good nutrition, provision of essential drugs, clean water supply & good sanitation, control of endemic diseases & treatment of common ailments, sufficient personnel trained in primary eye care are essential for control of childhood blindness.

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CITATION
DOI: 10.17511/jooo.2016.i01.01
Published: 2016-12-31
How to Cite
Rabindran, & Gedam, D. S. (2016). Childhood Blindness: Causes & Prevention. Tropical Journal of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, 1(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.17511/jooo.2016.i01.01
Section
Editorial