title: Profile of blindness in Nepal: a hospital based study.
abstract: A hospital based prospective study was conducted at B P Koirala Lions Center for Ophthalmic Studies to determine the causes of blindness. A total of 701 patients were enrolled for this study during a one and a half year time period. Four main diseases in the order of prevalence--cataract, corneal diseases, trauma and posterior segment diseases--were identified as the major causes of blindness. The prevalence of blindness increased with age and showed a male preponderance. Cataract and corneal diseases were the leading causes of bilateral blindness and unilateral blindness respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Nepal Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Aparna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rizyal
authors.forename: Purna Chandra
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Karmacharya
authors.forename: Shashank
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koirala
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution