title: A survey of severe visual impairment and blindness in children attending thirteen schools for the blind in sri lanka.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the causes of blindness and severe visual impairment (BL/SVI) in children attending schools for the blind in Sri Lanka, and to provide optical devices and ophthalmic treatment where indicated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and six children under 16 years from 13 schools for the blind in Sri Lanka were examined by a team of ophthalmologists and optometrists. Data were entered in the World Health Organization Prevention of Blindness Eye Examination Record for Childhood Blindness (WHO/PBL ERCB).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 206 children, 83.5% were blind (BL = Visual acuity [VA] <3/60), and 9.2% had severe visual impairment (SVI = VA <6/60 to 3/60 in the better eye). The major anatomical site of BL/SVI was the retina in 35.9% of cases, followed by the whole globe in 22.4% of cases. The major underlying aetiologies of BL/SVI were unknown in 43.8% of cases and hereditary in 37.5%. Avoidable causes of BL/SVI accounted for 34.9% of cases; retinopathy of prematurity made up the largest proportion of this subgroup. One third of the children required an optical device to improve their vision.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Just over one third of the children in schools for the blind in Sri Lanka had potentially avoidable causes of BL/SVI. Vision could also be improved in a third of children. The data support the need to develop specialized pediatric ophthalmic services, particularly in the face of advancing neonatal life support in Sri Lanka, and the need for increased provision of optical support.
authors.affiliation: South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology, Adelaide, Australia. zoegao@gmail.com
authors.forename: Zoe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muecke
authors.forename: Kapila
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Edussuriya
authors.forename: Ranasiri
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dayawansa
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hammerton
authors.forename: Aimee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sennanayake
authors.forename: Tissa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Senaratne
authors.forename: Nirosha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marasinghe
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Selva
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D012682:Sensory Aids; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D014792:Visual Acuity; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*