Background: The target of the world Health organization
(WHO) to reduce blindness to less than 0.5% in all
countries and <1% in individual countries is only possible
if all major blinding eye diseases are detected early and
treated or even prevented from occurring. Unfortunately,
this target is frequently hampered by the problem of access
to effective eye care in developing countries. The aim of this
study is to determine the prevalence and causes of
blindness in Ikwerre Local Government Area of River
State, Nigeria
Methods: A population based, multistage random
sampling survey on the causes of blindness was carried out
th th between the 8 of September and 20 of October 2007.
Various household in Seven villages picked from seven
communities in the LGA were involved in the survey. Basic
eye examination involving visual acuity measurement, pen
torch assessment, funduscopy and intra-ocular pressure
measurement were done. Data was recorded with WHO /
PBL form.
Results: A total of 1513 persons were examined consisting
of 754 males and 759 females. The prevalence of bilateral
blindness was 1.26%; the commonest causes of bilateral
blindness were cataract (37), glaucoma (31.5%) and optic
atrophy (15.7%). There were more bilaterally blind females
(68%) compared to males (32%). They were all above 50
years old.
The main causes of unilateral blindness were cataract
(42.3%), glaucoma (15.4%) optic atrophy (11.5%) and
corneal opacity (11.5%).
Conclusion: The burden of blindness can be reduced
through effective planning and implementation of
programmes for making cataract surgeries affordable,
training of health personnel on basic eye care and
establishment of a functional state programme for
prevention of blindness