Impact of healthcare strategies on patterns of paediatric sight impairment in a developed population: 1984-2011.

PurposeThe aim of our study was to analyse paediatric sight-impairment trends in Northern Ireland (NI) over a 28-year period to better understand the impact which changes in health-care provision may be having on childhood blindness and to enable us to assess our progress towards achieving the World Health Organisation (WHO) aims.MethodsA database of Certificates of Visual Impairment completed for NI children aged <16 years was used to determine the cause of sight impairment from 1984 to 2011. Causes were classified into preventable or treatable conditions and analysed for trends.