Abstract
A study of all the schools for the blind in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was undertaken during 1993-2. Two hundred and five children had a complete ophthalmic examination. This represented 94% of all children aged 5-15 years attending schools for the blind. According to WHO categories of visual loss, 63% were blind and 21% had severe visual impairment. The main causes of blindness and severe visual loss were retinal (52%), optic atrophy (12%), glaucoma (9%) and cataract (7%). Common retinal diseases included degenerative myopia, Leber's congenital amaurosis, cone dystrophy and retinitis pigmentosa. Depending on the locality, 44-85% of these children were the product of a consanguineous marriage and a positive family history was present in 57%. The minimum prevalence of childhood blindness was estimated to be 0.32/1000 children. A reduction in the prevalence of blindness requires a reduction in consanguineous marriages, genetic counselling for affected families and public health measures to ensure early referral for management of cataract and glaucoma.
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Elder, M., De Cock, R. Childhood blindness in the West Bank and Gaza strip: Prevalence, aetiology and hereditary factors. Eye 7, 580–583 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1993.126
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1993.126
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