Childhood blindness due to vitamin A deficiency in India: regional variations.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the importance of vitamin A deficiency as a cause of childhood blindness and severe visual impairment (SVI) in India.


METHODS
Cross sectional survey of children with visual acuity less than 6/60 in the better eye (SVI/blindness), attending 22 schools for the blind in nine states of India.


METHODS
Proportion of children with blindness or SVI from corneal scarring attributable to vitamin A deficiency.


RESULTS
245 of 1318 (18.6%) of children had SVI/blindness attributable to vitamin A deficiency. The proportion of SVI/blindness due to vitamin A deficiency ranged from 7.5% (7/93) in Kerala to 26.7% (27/101) in Madhya Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, 7.5% (9/120) of children in the capital city blind school had SVI/blindness due to vitamin A deficiency, compared with 30.4% (51/168) in a blind school in a rural area of the same state.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, vitamin A deficiency is the single most important cause of childhood blindness and SVI in India. There are marked variations by state and also between urban and rural locations.
Rahi
J S
JS
International Centre for Eye Health, Department of Preventive Ophthalmology, London.
Sripathi
S
S
Gilbert
C E
CE
Foster
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012423:Rural Health; D014504:Urban Health; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology