Review of recent surveys on blindness and visual impairment in Latin America.
OBJECTIVE
To review recent data on prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment in Latin America.


METHODS
Data from recent population-based prevalence surveys in nine countries in Latin America, covering 30,544 people aged 50 years and older, are presented.


RESULTS
The prevalence of bilateral blindness (VA <3/60 in the better eye with available correction) ranged from 1.3% in urban Buenos Aires, Argentina, to 4.0% in two rural districts of Peru; low vision from 5.9% in Buenos Aires to 12.5% in rural Guatemala. Cataract was the main cause of blindness (41-87%), followed by posterior segment disease (7-47%). Avoidable blindness ranged from 43% in urban Brazil to 94% in rural Guatemala.


CONCLUSIONS
43% to 88% of all blindness in Latin America is curable, being caused by cataract and refractive errors. Simple and cost-effective intervention strategies exist and need to be made available to more people. Also, the visual outcome from cataract surgery can be improved. In the urban areas with adequate eye care services, blindness and low vision due to posterior segment disease are increasing. Results from these surveys may help planners to estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness in their own area or country.
Limburg
Hans
H
International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK. hlimburg@quicknet.nl
Barria von-Bischhoffshausen
Fernando
F
Gomez
Pedro
P
Silva
Juan Carlos
JC
Foster
Allen
A
D000368:Aged; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014792:Visual Acuity