Abstract |
Aim: To determine the contribution of corneal blindness to visual disability among Blind Street Beggars (bsb) with a view to draw the implications to blindness prevention programme in Sokoto North Local government area (LGA) . Materials and Methods: The cross sectional study was conducted in Sokoto North Local LGA in Sokoto State. The study was conducted over a period of six weeks between May and June, 2009. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethical Committee of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital. The list of blind persons in these areas was obtained from the traditional head of the blind (Sarkin Makafi) who assisted in mobilizing the subjects. Blind subjects who consented were included in the study. Data obtained were entered and analyzed in form of frequency tables using Epi-info 2000 statistical software package . Results: A total of 202 of the registered persons were found to be blind on ophthalmic examination and were therefore included in the analysis. There were 107 (53%) males and 95 (47%) females with a mean age of 49 years. One hundred and sixty four (81.2%) blind beggars became blind during childhood period while 38 subjects (18.8%) became blind during adulthood. Trachoma corneal opacity was responsible for 12.8% of the blindness while other corneal opacity accounted for 60.8%. Conclusion: Majority of the subjects had preventable blindness. We recommend a comprehensive eye care programme with a strong emphasis on health education and prompt treatment of these causes as a means of reducing the population of street blind beggars in Sokoto North LGA. |