title: Prevalence of night blindness in Bashagard district in Hormozgan, Iran, in 2011.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Night blindness is a visual disorder associated with unusual vision during the night or in darkness. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which is easily preventable, is the main known etiology of night blindness. Malnutrition is a common health issue in Bashagard and some other areas in the Hormozgan province of Iran. The aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of night blindness in Bashagard.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive cross-sectional study was done on 814 Bashagard residences. Data was analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 60% of the study participants were uneducated people or people with low education. Thirty-two out of 814 people that were studied had problems with night vision. Therefore, the prevalence of night blindness in Bashagard was 3.93%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of night blindness in Bashagard is three times higher than its prevalence in all of Iran. Therefore, preventive interventions such as dietary regimes with vitamin A enrichments or supplementations are recommended.
authors.affiliation: General Physician, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Hormozgan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daryanavard
authors.affiliation: General Physician, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Hormozgan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ebrahim
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Khajeh
authors.affiliation: General Physician, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Hormozgan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosseinpour
authors.affiliation: General Physician, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Hormozgan, Iran.
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dadvand
authors.affiliation: MSc in Environmental Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Hormozgan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azarpeykan
keywords: malnutrition; night blindness; vitamin A deficiency