Blindness and visual impairment in a region endemic for onchocerciasis in the Central African Republic.
OBJECTIVE
A population based survey of blindness and visual impairment was conducted in the district of Bossangoa, Central African Republic.


METHODS
A total of 48 communities were randomly selected, and 6086 people examined.


RESULTS
The prevalence of blindness (visual acuity in the better eye less than 3/60) was 2.2%, and visual impairment 3.0% (6/24 to 3/60 in the better eye). The major causes of blindness were onchocerciasis (73.1%), cataract (16.4%), trachoma (4.5%), and glaucoma (2.2%).


CONCLUSIONS
Around 95.5% of all blindness could potentially have been prevented or treated. Ivermectin mass distribution is hoped to prevent 50% of all forms of visual loss in the future.
Schwartz
E C
EC
University Eye Clinic LMU, Munich, Germany.
Huss
R
R
Hopkins
A
A
Dadjim
B
B
Madjitoloum
P
P
Hénault
C
C
Klauss
V
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications; D002488:Central African Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D014141:Trachoma / Q000150:complications; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology