Abstract
Purpose :
Blindness is a serious medical condition that affects children, their families, and their communities worldwide. Determination of the etiology of blindness in children is critical in outlining successful intervention and prevention measures. The major aim of this study is to elucidate the causes of blindness in children presenting to a Tertiary eye care facility in Saudi Arabia.
Methods :
We reviewed the charts and the history of consanguinity of children presenting to a Tertiary eye care facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All patients had a complete ophthalmologic examination. Blindness was defined as visual acuity of less than 20/400 and visual impairment as visual acuity between 20/400 and 20/60.
Results :
A total of 405 children were included 197 (48.5%) males and 208 (51.5%) females. The age range was 2 to 18 years with a mean age of 10 years. Out of the 405 children, 36 (9%) were blind and 52 (13%) had visual impairment. Moreover, 16(4%) were blind from genetically determined diseases and 20(5%) were blind from acquired disorders. Consanguineous marriages were present among 9(52%) children with genetically determined diseases compared to 1(5%) in acquired diseases (p value = 0.0017). The most common genetically determined diseases causing blindness in children were retinal dystrophy, congenital glaucoma and optic atrophy. On the other hand, the most common acquired causes of childhood blindness were infections and refractive errors.
Conclusions :
Genetically-determined diseases of the retina and optic nerve were the leading causes of blindness in children. Consanguineous marriages are a major factor leading to blindness in children in Saudi Arabia. Public education programs should be introduced, including information and counseling about the risk factors and prevention of blindness in children. Eye screening tests should be done for preschool and school children for the prevention, early detection, and intervention of blinding disorders.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.