An overview on Paediatric Low Vision and Rehabilitation

Abstract

Eye-care services must be comprehensive, encompassing eye-health promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Integration of eye healthcare services into general healthcare systems is vital for the Global Action Plan to meet its Universal Eye Health coverage. Blindness in childhood has far reaching implications for the affected child, family and, society and throughout life profoundly impacts educational, employment, personal and social prospects. Rehabilitation is one of the neglected components of the continuum of healthcare, and is gaining increasing prominence with the rising disability burden in the world. Low vision services are especially lacking in the countries of South east Asia owing to numerous factors that deeply entwined with poverty and lack of resources. There is need for data from regional or national population-based studies on the prevalence and causes of vision impairment in children to assess the needs for eye-care and rehabilitation services. This paper describes both clinical and vision rehabilitation components of management for children with visual disabilities. Such an approach is likely to have the potential to improve the quality of life of these children, and can provide practical guides to eye care managers across India.

Keywords

• childhood blindness
• rehabilitation
• low vision
• corneal blindness
• paediatric low vision