title: Aetiological survey of visually handicapped children in Northern Ireland.
abstract: A survey of visually h,ndicapped children in Northern Ireland identified 486 subjects aged 0 to 20 years on January 1, 1976, with a corrected visual acuity of 6/18 or less in the better eye. The prevalence of visual handicap was 81/100,000 of the population with an estimated ascertainment rate of 80%. Genetically determined diseases accounted for 51% of the cases. Birth hypoxia secondary to prenatal and perinatal complications was the second most important aetiological factor contributing towards visual handicap.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000150:complications; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009660:Northern Ireland; D011247:Pregnancy; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics