title: Visual disability and blindness secondary to refractive errors in Africa.
abstract: Optical defects of the light-focusing apparatus of the eye are called errors of refraction. They are responsible for 13% of all significant vision loss in Kenya, ranking third of all causes, after cataract and trachoma. As the overall prevalence of such visual impairment in the Country is 3.7%, roughly 0.5% of the population can be said to need spectacles to obtain normal vision. The comparable figure for secondary school children in Nigeria has been found to be 2.4%. In addition, patients require special spectacles after cataract surgery to obtain adequate vision; without such spectacles these patients are still 'blind' by World Health Organization criteria. These glasses can be obtained through mission societies and various charitable organizations for a little as $5 per pair, and can be manufactured locally with available ophthalmic manpower and technology. Alternatives to spectacles such as contact lenses, intra-ocular lenses and Kerato-refractive surgery are not suitable for use in developing Countries.
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology*; D003261:Contact Lenses; D005139:Eyeglasses; D006801:Humans; D007910:Lenses, Intraocular; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology*