Prevalence of blindness and visual impairment in a coastal region of Southern India: A cross-sectional survey in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Purpose: To estimate the magnitude, determinants, and causes of visual impairment (VI) and blindness among people >40 years. Methods: In this cross-sectional survey, 2,968 people >40 years from 34 clusters were examined. A cluster random sampling method with a compact segment sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Prevalence of any VI (presenting visual acuity (PVA) 70 years, and OR 7.6 (95% CI: 2.2–26.5) for people aged between 60 and 69 years compared to those aged 41–50 years and people living near coastal regions (Within 50 km of coast) (OR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.6–7.3). Conclusion: Blindness and vision impairment are of public health concern in this geographic region. Eye care services need to be augmented to address this challenge.

Keywords

• blindness
• cataract
• coastal region
• india
• refractive error
• visual impairment