Causes of visual disability at the Al-Noor institute for the visually impaired in Bahrain

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To determine the etiology, clinical diagnosis and prognosis and to identify the major treatable and preventable causes of visual disability among attendees at the Al-Noor Institute for the Visually Impaired, Bahrain. Method: Using the standardized methodology of the World Health Organization, a detailed study was conducted of 124 visually disabled subjects, mainly children, at the Al-Noor Institute for the Visually Impaired. The patients were examined clinically during 1994 and 1995. There were 70 Bahrainis and 54 non-Bahrainis; 81 were male and 43 female. Results The main causes of visual disability were due to hereditary diseases [42%]. The main cause was retinal dystrophy, while glaucoma, cataract, intrauterine infections and retinopathy of prematurity were the other main causes. Data analysis revealed that 46.8% had parents who were closely related. Moreover, the consanguinity was 63.2% in those subjects with a positive family history of visual disability among closely related family members. On the other hand, subjects who had negative or unknown family history revealed consanguinity among parents in 32.9% of cases. Conclusion The main cause of blindness is hereditary disease. Consanguinity represents an important factor in visual disability among children