Blindness in children at the Ida Rieu school for the blind and deaf.

Objective: To identify the causes of blindness at the Ida Rieu school for the blind and deaf, Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at the Ida Rieu School for the blind and deaf. The data collected from medical record of students was entered into the WHO/PBL eye examination form for children with blindness and low vision.

Results: Records of 144 pupils aged between 4-30 years were reviewed, including 67% males and 33% females. One third (31%) children had visual impairment (< 6/18-6/60) and 69% were blind (< 3/60-NPL). The commonest anatomical site was retina (41%) and whole globe (20%). The etiology was unknown in 49% cases. In 33% of cases, the data suggested hereditary cause as the etiology, 40% of cases were preventable and 13% treatable.

Conclusion: Avoidable causes of blindness were seenin 53% of children, 58% of which were preventable and 19 were treatable.