title: Prevalence and causes of low vision and blindness in the Extreme North Province of Cameroon, West Africa.
abstract: A survey to determine the prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment in the Extreme North Province of Cameroon was conducted in the Spring of 1992. A total of 10,647 people age 6 years and older was selected from a multi-stage, clustered sample stratified by ecological zone. The subjects were examined by ophthalmologist-led teams for visual acuity and ocular diseases. Approximately 1.2% of the sample was bilaterally blind by the World Health Organization classification (Category 3) of vision less than the ability to count fingers at 3 meters. Similarly to results found in other developing countries, senile cataract was the most common diagnosis encountered and the most frequent principal cause of low vision and blindness.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Inst., UCLA 90024, USA.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ross-Degnan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moukouri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fobi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Alemayehu
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Martone
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bazargan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001766:Blindness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014505:Urban Population; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology