Sivaraman M
BACKGROUND
Impairment in vision is a worldwide problem of socio-economic significance. This study was carried out with objective of
analysing various causes of permanent visual disability in North West rural Tamilnadu, India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was done by evaluating 150 cases of permanent visual disability patients who came to ophthalmology OPD
Department at Government Dharmapuri Medical College. Patients with permanent visual disability underwent ocular examination
including visual acuity, anterior segment evaluation with oblique illumination and slit-lamp evaluation, retinoscopy and fundus
examination with post mydriatic test to identify the cause of permanent disability.
RESULTS
In this study, permanent visual disability is equally distributed with mild increase in males (53%). The majority of the
permanently disabled are found in age group between 15 and 45 years (57%), followed by age group 46 - 60 years (21%),
17% are more than 60 years (17%) of age and 5% are less than fifteen years of age. In the study, one-half of the disabled
persons are 100% blind and one-quarter (23%) are one eyed. 11% are 75% visually disabled and 17% had 40% visual disability.
In the study corneal blindness (27%) and retinitis pigmentosa (15%) are the top two causes of bilateral permanent and 80%
of all unilateral blindness result from some type of injury to one eye.
CONCLUSION
In this study we conclude that the present visual disability due to diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and pathological myopia could
have been avoided or delayed if promptly diagnosed and treated at an earlier stage. Also the time between injury and treatment
by ophthalmologist plays a main role in unilateral blindness due to injury.
