An epidemiological study of visually disabled patients less than 40 years of age

Abstract

Background The human eye is like a camera that used to collect, focus and transmit light through a transparent media to create an image. Vision is one among the five basic special sense of human being. Normal binocular vision is a dynamic process that integrates sensory and motor information to derive meaning of the surroundings. Vision loss is a threat to human being than any other disability in the present day world. There are many causes for visual disability which includes damage to the eye and the failure of the brain to interpret the information from the eye correctly. Aim & Objectives To study the following in patients with visual disability 1. Etiology 2. Magnitude of visual disability. Results In this study of 156 patients, 31.41% were in the age group of 31–40 years, 63.46% were found to be males and 42.94% were having 100% visual disability. Retinitis pigmentosa found to be a major cause of visual disability in this study group. Conclusion Visual disability may be of varying degree and with the higher prevalence among men in the age group 31 – 40 years due to retinitis pigmentosa. Genetic counseling and testing help to determine individuals at risk. In our study, amblyopia is the commonest cause for visual disability in childhood(1 – 10 years). Hence if it is detected early and managed appropriately, visual disability due to amblyopia is reduced. Early intervention is imperative for rapid acceptance, better compliance with rehabilitation programs and higher standard of living.