title: Blindness in children at the Ida Rieu school for the blind and deaf.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the causes of blindness at the Ida Rieu school for the blind and deaf, Karachi, Pakistan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross sectional study was conducted at the Ida Rieu School for the blind and deaf. The data collected from medical record of students was entered into the WHO/PBL eye examination form for children with blindness and low vision.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Records of 144 pupils aged between 4-30 years were reviewed, including 67% males and 33% females. One third (31%) children had visual impairment (< 6/18-6/60) and 69% were blind (< 3/60-NPL). The commonest anatomical site was retina (41%) and whole globe (20%). The etiology was unknown in 49% cases. In 33% of cases, the data suggested hereditary cause as the etiology, 40% of cases were preventable and 13% treatable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Avoidable causes of blindness were seenin 53% of children, 58% of which were preventable and 19 were treatable.
authors.affiliation: Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
authors.forename: Sadia Javed
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Afshan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Laila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Khalid
authors.forename: Uzma
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.forename: Erum
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hashmi
authors.forename: Fariha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Imtiaz
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jehan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000150:complications; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012409:Rubella / Q000150:complications; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000150:complications