Prevalence and Causes for Blindness Among Rural Population in Coastal Villages of Puducherry and Tamilnadu

Abstract

OBJECTIVETo identify the common causes for blindness among rural population, and also to know the prevalence of ocular diseases among people in coastal villages. MATERIAL AND METHODSCase records of all the free eye camps conducted by Department of Ophthalmology during January 2011 to December 2012 were collected. Demographic data, vision and clinical diagnosis were entered and analysed. DESIGN-Retrospective analytical study. RESULTSBlindness due to cataract is 66.79%, refractive error 21.67%, Pterygium 3.09% and other causes 8.45%. CONCLUSIONCataract and refractive error are the leading causes for blindness in coastal villages.