Abstract
Purpose :
To determine the causes of severe visual impairment and blindness (SVI/BL) in children in Lima, Peru, and to compare the prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) to previous reports.
Methods :
Children attending schools for the blind in Lima, Peru were examined in 2013. Data was collected using the WHO Childhood Blindness Software.
Results :
63 children were identified with SVI/BL. The major anatomical site of SVI/BL was the retina (43.5%). The major underlying etiology of SVI/BL was undetermined in 58.7%% and perinatal factors in 31.7%. ROP accounted for 28.5% of SVI/BL.
Conclusions :
More than one-third of causes of SVI/BL are potentially avoidable, with ROP being a leading cause. The prevalence of ROP in Lima has increased as compared to studies conducted in 1999 (16%) and 2005 (24%).
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.