title: Causes of blindness and visual impairment in Latin America.
abstract: We review what is known in each country of the Latin American region with regards to blindness and visual impairment and make some comparisons to Hispanic populations in the United States. Prevalence of blindness varied from 1.1% in Argentina to 4.1% in Guatemala in people 50 years of age and older, with the major cause being cataract. Diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma are starting to make serious inroads, although epidemiological data are limited, and age-related macular degeneration is now a concern in some populations. Infectious diseases such as trachoma and onchocerciasis are quickly diminishing. Although progress has been made, retinopathy of prematurity remains the major cause of childhood blindness. If VISION 2020 is to succeed, many more epidemiological studies will be needed to set priorities, although some can be of the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness design. Developing the infrastructure for screening and treatment of ophthalmic disease in Latin America continues to be a challenge.
authors.affiliation: Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: João M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Furtado
authors.forename: Van C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Lansingh
authors.forename: Marissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: María F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Milanese
authors.forename: Brenda N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.forename: Hernán A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Ghersi
authors.forename: Paula L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Bote
authors.forename: María E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Nano
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*