Causes of blindness in students attending schools for the blind in Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To determine causes of visual loss in blind school students in Saudi Arabia. All students enrolled in 17 schools for the blind were interviewed and had complete ophthalmic examination between 8 February and 30 May 1998. Medical files were accessed to obtain previously documented findings. Enrollment numbered 913, 68% males and 32% females. Causes of visual loss: retinal dystrophies [40%], congenital glaucoma [15%], optic nerve disease [12%], congenital cataract, corneal diseases, and others [each 11%]. Congenital [63%] and hereditary [25%] causes were more common than acquired [12%], p = 0.05. Consanguinity was 43% in congenital and 55% in hereditary versus 34% in acquired cases [p<0.0005]. Blindness occurred in 65% of students' relatives. Conclusions: Visual loss was caused predominantly by congenital disorders and retinal dystrophies were the most frequently encountered. Consanguinity is an issue that should be addressed

Ocular leukemia in King AbdulAziz University Hospital-Jeddah

To the best of our knowledge, ocular leukemia has not been reported in Saudi Arabia. Seventy-two leukemia patients were seen in King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah over the last 10 years. Thirty-one of those patients had an ocular examination. Seventeen of these were found to have ocular abnormalities related to leukemia. Ten had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, four had acute myeloid leukemia and three had chronic myeloid leukemia. The retina and vitreous were involved in 12 of the ocular relapses, the anterior segment leukemic infiltrate in nine, glaucoma in five, opportunistic infection in four, cranial nerve palsies in three, proptosis and hypotony in two. Conjunctival hemorrhage, choroidal infiltrate and cataract were present in one relapse each. The optic nerve was involved in nine relapses, which is a serious condition that requires immediate intervention to save the patient's sight. Computed tomography [CT] scan of the brain and orbit was useful in differentiating between optic nerve infiltrate and papilledema. Most ocular relapses responded well to chemotherapy except relapses with optic nerve and anterior segment infiltrate, which required irradiation to save the patient's sight and prevent further relapses. In conclusion, the presented data have shown that ocular leukemia is not rare and emphasizes the importance of early ophthalmologic examination and radiation

Neonatal conjunctivitis [a pilot study]

Neonatal conjunctivitis has not been well studied in Saudi Arabia. This pilot study has been performed on 51 newborns, born in King Abdulaziz University Hospital to find out the main cause of neonatal conjunctivitis in this hospital. Symptomatic neonatal conjunctivitis was present in 9.8% of infants and Staph. Aureus was the most common cause. Chlamydia trachomatis was the most frequent [21.6%] cause of asymptomatic neonatal conjunctivitis. None of the affected infants were Saudi. A multicentre study of a large number of Saudi's newborns with adequate follow up is necessary to determine the prevalence of this disease in Saudi Arabia

Retinal haemorrhage in the newborn

Retinal haernorrhage in the newborn is a well documented observation. In order to determine the frequency of occurrence and to investigate the association with various factors, the retinae of 50 newborns were examined within the first 24 hours after delivery at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The examining ophthalmologist was unaware of the course and management of labor and delivery. Relevant clinical details were taken from the patient's charts, coded and entered into a microcomputer. The results of the analysis revealed that 40% of the 50 newborns examined [N = 20], were found to have retinal haernorrhage. Eight newborns delivered by cesarean section, none of which had retinal Haemorrhage, were excluded from the study. Forty-two newborns delivered vaginally were divided into two groups; group 1 [N = 22] who had a normal retina, and group 2 [N = 20] who had retinal haemorrhage. Several factors were examined for association of occurrence of retinal haemorrhage using comparison between means and frequency of occurrence in each group. None of the factors examined were found to have any association in the development of retinal haemorrhage