Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2020 Feb;68(2):375-380.
doi: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_1709_18.

Prevalence and causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, including the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Siwan district of Bihar, India: A population-based survey

Ajit Kumar Poddar  1 , Tanwir Ahmed Khan  1 , Kumari Sweta  1 , Mritunjay Kumar Tiwary  1 , Rishi R Borah  2 , Rahul Ali  2 , Asim Kumar Sil  3 , Sethu Sheeladevi  2
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Prevalence and causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, including the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Siwan district of Bihar, India: A population-based survey

Ajit Kumar Poddar et al. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2020 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and causes of visual impairment (VI) and blindness and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Siwan district, Bihar.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was done from January to March 2016 using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness 6 (RAAB 6, incorporating DR module) methodology. All individuals aged ≥50 years were examined in 57 randomly selected clusters within the district.

Results: A total of 3476 individuals were enumerated and 3189 (92%) completed examination. The overall prevalence of blindness and severe VI was 2.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6-2.8) and 3.4% (95% CI: 2.6-4.3), respectively. Untreated cataract was the leading cause of blindness (73%) and severe VI (93%). The cataract surgical coverage (CSC) at <3/60 was 71.5% for eyes and 89.3% for persons in this sample and the CSC was similar between the genders. Refractive error (71%) was the primary cause of early VI. The overall prevalence of known and newly diagnosed diabetes was 6.3% (95% CI, 5.4-7.2%). Prevalence of any DR, maculopathy, and sight-threatening DR was 15, 12.4, and 6%, respectively.

Conclusion: To conclude, as compared to previous reports, the prevalence of blindness and DR in Siwan district of Bihar was found to be lower and the CSC was higher. However, the problem of avoidable blindness remains a major problem in this region.

Keywords: Avoidable blindness; RAAB 6; cataract surgical coverage; diabetic retinopathy; visual impairment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None

Comment in

References

    1. Bourne RRA, Flaxman SR, Braithwaite T, Cicinelli MV, Das A, Jonas JB, et al. Vision Loss Expert Group. Magnitude, temporal trends, and projections of the global prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2017;5:e888–97. - PubMed
    1. Jose R, Bachani D. World bank-assisted cataract blindness control project. Indian J Ophthalmol. 1995;43:35–43. - PubMed
    1. Murthy GVS, Jose R, Vashist P, John N. Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness – India Report, 2006-2007 National Program for Control of Blindness Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi – 110001
    1. Murthy GV, Gupta SK, Bachani D, Jose R, John N. Current estimates of blindness in India. Br J Ophthalmol. 2005;89:257–60. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wild S, Roglic G, Green A, Sicree R, King H. Global prevalence of diabetes: Estimates for the year 2000 and projections for 2030. Diabetes Care. 2004;27:1047–53. - PubMed

Publication types