Page 170 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition Jan-Feb 2020
P. 170
CAUSES AND
PREVENTION OF
BLINDNESS
he term ‘blindness’ implies an of cases are due to congenital
inability to perceive light but anomalies, particularly cataract,
Tmany people who retain some optic atrophy and buphthalmos.
degree of visual capacity experience 2. In school-age children, some 60%
helplessness from an economic of cases are due to congenital
standpoint. Therefore, in Great and developmental anomalies,
Britain, for practical and statutory and 10% because of abiotrophic
purposes, the definition that is defects; a further 15% is due to
accepted is “too blind to perform neurological diseases.
work for which eyesight is essential",
Dr Vineet Shrivastava and “the practical limits are taken 3. In adult life (20-50 years), the
B.E.M.S., D.O., (FOOREC) to be a visual acuity of more than developmental and abiotrophic
FCLC (Gold Medalist) 3/60 in the better eye or a visual defects account for 50% if myopia
Consultant Optometrist & Educator field reduced to a small area around is included in this category;
Banswara, Rajasthan
the fixation point.” The neurological diseases account
register of the blind for for some 20%, and diabetes and
England, compiled on
this basis, shows that
there are over 1,20,000 blind
persons.
IN GREAT BRITAIN, The major causes of
BLINDNESS IS blindness are cataract,
glaucoma, myopia and
DEFINED AS “TOO developmental and hereditary
BLIND TO PERFORM anomalies. In different age
WORK FOR WHICH groups, different causes are
EYESIGHT IS operative, including the
following:
ESSENTIAL”
1. In infants, a vast majority
| JAN-FEB 2020 | 166 OPTOMETRY
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