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Query: UMLS:C0086543 (cataract)
 29,165 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The results of the epidemiological survey of 10,860 inhabitants of 121 Liberian communities from 1969-1971 were analysed on the prevalence, incidence and risk of blindness associated with onchocerciasis infection. The overall prevalence of economic blindness in the population sample was 3.24%, the total rate of measured visual damage in both eyes was 5.37% (impairment of vision etc.). Onchocerciasis was prevalent in a very high proportion of those having visual defects. Causes of blindness as by frequency were cataract in 45%, lesions of the anterior segment, other than onchocerciasis-related in 14%, phthisis bulbi (9%) and optic atrophy (6%). The importance of onchocerciasis as a cause of blindness and as a public health problem in Liberia is examined by the comparison of 5 categories of village populations, classified by their adjusted onchocerciasis prevalence rates. The risk of exposure to onchocerciasis increases gradually from nil to 100%, providing one infection-free control population and increasing degrees of prevalence in the next categories, dependent on duration of exposure and intensity of transmission. The attempt to estimate the risk of blindness attributable to onchocerciasis from this data reveals a 3-fold risk in people exposed to the infection in their habitat, whereas a 2,5-fold risk is found from the evaluation of findings in people classified by mf-prevalence in their skins only. Considering a proportion of at least 65% of the rural population to be living under onchocerciasis exposure, the attributable risk amounts to more than 50%, which suggests that this population suffers from 50% more blindness than would be expected without exposure to onchocerciasis sometime in life.
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PMID:Visual impairment and incidence of blindness in Liberia and their relation to onchocerciasis. 121 34

Prevention of blindness is the most important aim of ophthalmology. Prevention of blindness is related to many factors. It is related to many factors, such as science and technology, economy and social behavior. There are worldwide activities by WHO, NGOs and other functions to promote the prevention of blindness in the world. More than 90% of blind population lives in developing world. Cataract is the top causes of blindness which is curable. Onchocerciasis is an endemic disease in west Africa and central America. Onchocerca Control Project (OCP) was formed in 1974 under WHO for the control of oncocerciasis by the funds of developed countries. The control of vector (simulium) as well as new drug are giving the the project the prospect of success in eradicating the disease, thus preventing the blindness by diseases. The situation on blindness by trachoma, childhood blindness, glaucoma, diabetes will be discussed. The progress of molecular genetics of eye disease may open the gate for prevention of blindness by these disease in future.
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PMID:The prevention of blindness--past, present and future. 128 79

Prevention of blindness is the most important aim of ophthalmology. Prevention of blindness is related to many factors. It is related to many factors, such as science and technology, economy and social behavior. There are worldwide activities by WHO, NGOs and other functions to promote the prevention of blindness in the world. More than 90% of blind population lives in developing world. Cataract is the top causes of blindness which is curable. Onchocerciasis is an endemic disease in west Africa and central America. Onchocerca Control Project (OCP) was formed in 1974 under WHO for the control of onchocerciasis by the funds of developed countries. The control of vector (simulium) as well as new drug are giving the the project the prospect of success in eradicating the disease, thus preventing the blindness by diseases. The situation on blindness by trachoma, childhood blindness, glaucoma, diabetes will be discussed. The progress of molecular genetics of eye disease may open the gate for prevention of blindness by these disease in future.
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PMID:[The prevention of blindness--past, present and future]. 129 98

From 50.000 patients treated at Eye Department of University Hospital of Kinshasa (Zaire), 944 or 19% were registered legal blind. The male-to-female ratio was 2/1 and 24% of legal blind were in the age group of 0-19 years corresponding to preschool and school period. Blindness incidence increased with advancing age. Glaucoma (31%) was by far the commonest cause of blindness in our sample and in all age groups. Cataract (18,4%) and optic atrophy (16,3%) respectively came in the second and the third position. Only cataract not treatable surgically was considered. Onchocerciasis (4,9%) appeared in the fourth position but this evaluation is a minimal one because Kinshasa is situated far away from some important endemic areas and villages. Onchocerciasis was absent among legally blind younger than 20 years, its importance increased with advancing age. Trachoma is unknown in Zaire and was absent from our list of blinding ocular diseases. Xerophthalmia and keratomalacia in its typical form was rarely a cause of blindness. The common blinding affections in developed countries such as, senile macular degeneration, hereditary chorioretinal dystrophies, diabetic retinopathy are poorly represented in our statistics. Some prophylactic and therapeutic suggestions are given: Persons with glaucoma are generally examined very late, and are difficult to be treated by either rigorous application of current miotics or surgical techniques for glaucoma. Pilocarpine with high concentration (4%, 6%) alone or associated to Timolol gives usually rather good tonometric results. Filtering operations for glaucoma (Elliot trepanation, trabeculectomy) can improve or stabilize the glaucoma but in some cases no improvement is noted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Causes of blindness in Zaire]. 650 84

Onchocerciasis is commonly known as River Blindness and affects about 18 million people around the world. It is transmitted by black flies that breed in river and stream rapids and transmit the parasitic microfilariae, Onchocerca volvulus, to people who live and work near such rivers. Infection with the microfilariae results in blindness or visual impairment for 1 or 2 million people. The microfilariae migrate to superficial tissues and may invade any part of the eye and ocular structure. Living worms cause little damage, however, their death triggers a localized inflammation which can lead to blindness. Sclerosing keratitis, a severe corneal involvement, is the major cause of blindness from the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Onchocerciasis has estimated that 9% of the disease is found in Africa, the rest occur in Yemen and Latin America. Treatment with ivermectin is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, children under 5 years of age, asthmatics, and people with other diseases. The WHO Onchocerciasis Control Program in 11 countries of West Africa has eliminated the risk of onchocerciasis by aerial spraying of black fly breeding sites only from 1 country. A single annual oral dose (150 mg/kg) of ivermectin can reverse early lesions in the cornea. Ivermectin must be taken annually to sustain protection against blindness, thus its incorporation into primary health care along with malaria, AIDS, trachoma, xerophthalmia, and cataract is most cost effective. Nigeria and Tanzania have optometry schools, and optometrists can play a significant role in onchocerciasis control and blindness prevention programs by training local health care workers to distribute invermectin in vision screening programs.
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PMID:Onchocerciasis and other eye problems in developing countries: a challenge for optometrists. 824 90

Blindness is a major problem in most developing countries. It occurs at ten times the rate seen in the developed countries and in over 80% of cases is either preventable or curable. The four main causes are cataract, trachoma, onchocerciasis and xerophthalmia. Cataract, which is responsible for half the blindness, can be effectively cured with modern cataract surgery. Trachomatous blindness follows frequent episodes of reinfection, which can be prevented by simple hygienic measures. Onchocerciasis can be halted by the simple administration of a once-a-year dose of ivermectin, a drug which is currently being provided at no cost to all those with this infection. Vitamin A deficiency, which causes xerophthalmia, can be prevented by vitamin A distribution programs or dietary education. The challenge is to deliver these interventions effectively in the areas of need.
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PMID:Blindness in the tropics. 837 95

The goal of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) is to eliminate Onchocerciasis as a disease of public Health significance and an important constraint to socio-economic development in the 19 none OCP (Onchocerciasis Control Project) countries covered through Community-Directed Treatment with Ivermectin, CDTI. In 1998, impact assessment studies were carried out in Morogoro, Tanzania during which baseline ophthalmological parameters were established. The hypothesis being tested is that CDTI will prevent or delay progression of onchocercal eye lesions and blindness. A total of 425 subjects aged 10 years or more from 14 villages within Bwakira district ofMorogoro region in Tanzania were examined for Snellen visual acuity, ocular microfilaria, lens opacities, uveitis and posterior segment disease especially chorioretinitis and optic nerve disease. Motion Sensitivity Screening Test (MSST) was carried out as well. Microfilaria was present in the anterior chamber of nearly half (49.2%) of all subjects examined. Prevalence of blindness was extremely high at 15.2%. Onchocercal lesions were responsible for blindness in 41.5% of these, followed by cataracts (27.7%), glaucoma (10.8%) and trachoma (6.2%). The main pathway to onchocercal blindness in this population was anterior uveitis with or without secondary cataracts. There is an urgent need to get CDTI underway and institute other horizontal primary eye care measures, especially cataract backlog reduction, in order to reduce the excessive burden of avoidable blindness in this community.
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PMID:APOC impact assessment studies: baseline ophthalmological findings in Morogoro, Tanzania. 1930 9

The African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) sponsored a baseline study in Nigeria between 1998 and 1999 on the prevalence and distribution of Onchocerciasis. The randomly selected 1,064 subjects in the baseline study underwent detailed eye examination in Cross River (rain forest), Taraba (savanna) and Kogi (forest-savanna) States. This paper compares and contrasts the public health significance of ocular onchocerciasis in these ecological zones. A blindness prevalence of 2.4% was recorded in the study, onchocerciasis being responsible for 30.2% of the bilaterally blind subjects. Onchocerciasis-induced blindness prevalence was relatively high in the rain forest and forest savanna zones of Cross River and Kogi States, Cross River having the highest site-specific prevalence (50.0%), followed by Kogi (41.7%). Taraba recorded only 27.3%. Other conditions identified included glaucoma, optic nerve disease and cataract rates of which were also found to be high among the population (6.9%, 6.5 % and 8.9% respectively). Anterior segment onchocercal lesions, punctate and sclerosing keratitis were the predominant features of the infection in the savanna zone (14.1% and 6.3% respectively), while posterior segment lesions were much more common in the forest zone. The need to sustain the present efforts to control onchocerciasis through mass ivermectin treatment is recommended.
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PMID:Prevalence and distribution of ocular onchocerciasis in three ecological zones in Nigeria. 2173 92