Childhood blindness is an important cause contributing to the burden of blindness. Blindness in children can be defined as a visual acuity of <3/60 in the eye with better vision of a child under 16 years of age. This generally means that the child cannot see something 10 feet away, that another child could see if it was 200 feet away.
Childhood blindness has many causes, and each cause has its own method of damaging the eyes. Leber congenital amaurosis primarily affects the retina, and typically severe visual impairment begins in infancy. Mutations in Aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein like-1 have been linked to Leber congenital amaurosis.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of childhood blindness is done via methods to ascertain the degree of visual impairment in the affected child doing so via dilating eye drops and the proceeding eye exam.
Prevention
is a top cause of preventable childhood blindness. For children who have measles, there is insufficient evidence to determine if vitamin A is effective at reducing the risk of vision loss.
Treatment
Whether blindness is treatable depends upon the cause. Surgical intervention can be performed in cases of primary congenital glaucoma, however, surgical intervention is yet to be proven effective.
Management
is a universal way to learn how to read and write, for the blind. A refreshable braille display is an assistive learning device that can help such children in school. Schools for the blind are a form of management, however the limitations of using studies done in such schools has been recognized. Children that are enrolled presently, usually, had developed blindness 5 or more years prior to enrollment, consequently not reflecting current possible causes. About 66% of children with visual impairment also have one other disability, be it, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, or hearing loss. Eye care/screening for children within primary health care is important as catching ocular disease issues can lead to better outcomes.
Epidemiology
The number of children who suffer from blindness worldwide is approximately 1.4 million. 75% of the world’s blind children live in Africa and Asia. A 2014 review indicated that an estimated 238,500 children with bilateral blindness live in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Society and culture
VISION 2020 is a program launched by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and is supported by the WHOin 1999 that has made controlling blindness in children a high priority.
