Irreversible Blindness in Rural Pakistan: A Descriptive Analysis of Contributing Factors

Abstract

Background: Visual impairment is increasing in Pakistan. By focusing on the leading causes, effective prevention and treatment strategies can be developed to improve global eye health. Objective: To determine the frequency of irreversible blindness and its contributing factors in rural Pakistan. Material and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted. 73 Participants were included in this study. Participants were those who visited primary and secondary healthcare facilities in the surrounding rural areas between January 2022 and July 2023 to obtain a certification of blindness for legal or other purposes. Declarations of blindness met the standards established by the World Health Organization (WHO). Every participant underwent a thorough ocular examination to ascertain the source of blindness, with bilateral blindness as the inclusion criterion. The study did not include any patients who were blind in one eye. Results: In a study of 73 patients, 58.9% were male and 41.1% were female. There were 39.7% congenital cases and 60.3% acquired cases. In congenital cases, 51.7% were male and 48.3% were female; in acquired cases, 63.6% were male and 36.4% were female. There were, 87.7% illiterate and 12.3% were literate. The leading causes of acquired blindness were diabetic retinopathy (31.8%) and glaucoma (68.2%). For congenital cases, the leading causes included retinitis pigmentosa (27.6%) and congenital glaucoma (31.0%). Conclusion: Males are disproportionately affected by irreversible blindness, often linked to lower literacy rates. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness.