A retrospective review of records determined the frequency and causes of low vision and blindness in all children aged < 16 years attending an ophthalmic practice in Sana'a, Yemen between January and December 2001. Of the 1104 children studied, 45 (4.1%) were found to have bilateral blindness and 115 (10.4%) were unilaterally blind; 48 children (4.3%) were bilaterally visually impaired and 109 (9.9%) were unilaterally visually impaired. The main causes of bilateral blindness included cataract, glaucoma and retinal disorders. The most common causes of bilateral low vision included refractive errors, keratoconus and retinal disorders. These results provide a basis for planning blindness prevention programmes in Yemen.

Severe VKC in developing countries including Yemen is a potentially blinding disease. Visual loss may be due to keratoconus and corneal scars, as well as complications of the unsupervised use of topically administered corticosteroids.

Purpose:This hospital-based retrospective study was aimed to assess the causes of blindness among adults aged 17 years and over who attended a teaching eye hospital in Yemen.Methods:The case notes of 3845 consecutive new patients over 12 months attending Ibn Al-Haitham Eye Center which is affiliated to the University of Science and Technology in Sana'a (the capital of Yemen) were retrieved and analysed. Data collected included age, gender, chief complaint and complete eye examination.Results:7.7 percent (296) were uniocularly blind and 11.2 percent (432) were binocularly blind (best corrected visual acuity <3/60 in the better eye). The leading causes of uniocular blindness were cataract, trauma related ocular complications, corneal opacity, amblyopia and glaucoma. Binocular blindness was mainly due to cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration and corneal opacity.Conclusions:These data imply that the preliminary results give us some insight about the magnitude of the problem of blindness in Yemen while awaiting a national survey on the prevalence and causes of blindness. Cataract was found to be the main cause of unilateral and bilateral blindness and this will require surgical relief, either in public hospitals, private hospitals and clinics, or in eye camps. Trauma related ocular complications were found to be the second most common cause of uniocular blindness. Health education, implementing work safety measures and bringing ophthalmological care to the doorstep of underprivileged rural community will improve their level of awareness.

CSR has increased in Yemen in the recent years but is still below the target suggested by WHO. There is need to increase the cataract surgical rate in Yemen mainly in rural areas. Inadequate number of eye surgeons, limited accessibility of cataract surgical services in rural areas and the affordability of surgery to large sections of society are major constraints that have to be addressed. The information from this study will help and enable Ministry of Health and other eye care providers to more equitably disperse trained ophthalmic personnel and eye units in Yemeni governorates.