Causes of blindness and needs of the blind in Mansoura, Egypt.
A study of 113 blind people in Mansoura, Egypt highlighted the causes and risk factors for blindness, and health and social care needs of the blind. In two-thirds of cases, blindness occurred before 10 years of age. Risk factors for blindness were reported by more than half the study population. Congenital causes accounted for almost half the cases. The commonest causes of bilateral blindness were corneal opacities, cataract and glaucoma. Almost three-quarters of causes were avoidable. Health and social care for this group was inadequate and more than half would benefit from further management. Legislation for keratoplasty, a registry of blind people, and a nationwide community survey on the epidemiology of blindness are needed urgently.
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Mansoura, Mansoura, Egypt.
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AH
el-Gilany
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el-Fedawy
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Tharwat
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012946:Social Welfare; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data