Onakpoya O H, Adegbehingbe B O, Omotoye O J, Adeoye A O
Ophthalmology Unit, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
West Afr J Med. 2011 Jan-Feb;30(1):47-50. doi: 10.4314/wajm.v30i1.69917.
Blind children and young adults have to overcome a lifetime of emotional, social and economic difficulties. They employ non-vision dependent methods for education.
To assess the causes of blindness in a special school in southwestern Nigeria to aid the development of efficient blindness prevention programmes.
A cross-sectional survey of the Ekiti State Special Education School, Nigeria was conducted in May-June 2008 after approval from the Ministry of Education. All students in the blind section were examined for visual acuity, pen-torch eye examination and dilated fundoscopy in addition to taking biodata and history.
Thirty blind students with mean age of 18±7.3 years and male: female ratio of 1.7:1 were examined. Blindness resulted commonly from cataract eight (26.7%), glaucoma six (20%) retinitis pigmentosa four (16.7%) and posttraumatic phthysis bulbi two (6.7%). Blindness was avoidable in 18 (61%) of cases. Glaucoma blindness was associated with redness, pain, lacrimation and photophobia in 15 (50%) and hyphaema in 16.7% of students; none of these students were on any medication at the time of study.
The causes of blindness in rehabilitation school for the blind are largely avoidable and glaucoma-blind pupils face additional painful eye related morbidity during rehabilitation. While preventive measures and early intervention are needful against childhood cataract and glaucoma, regular ophthalmic consultations and medications are needed especially for glaucoma blind pupils.
盲童和失明的年轻人不得不终生克服情感、社交和经济方面的困难。他们采用不依赖视觉的教育方法。
评估尼日利亚西南部一所特殊学校中失明的原因，以助力高效的失明预防项目的开展。
在获得教育部批准后，于2008年5月至6月对尼日利亚埃基提州特殊教育学校进行了一项横断面调查。除收集生物数据和病史外，对盲人部的所有学生进行了视力检查、手电筒眼部检查和散瞳眼底检查。
检查了30名失明学生，平均年龄为18±7.3岁，男女性别比为1.7:1。失明常见原因包括白内障8例（26.7%）、青光眼6例（20%）、视网膜色素变性4例（16.7%）和创伤后眼球痨2例（6.7%）。18例（61%）病例的失明是可避免的。15名（50%）青光眼致盲学生伴有眼红、疼痛、流泪和畏光症状，16.7%的学生有前房积血；在研究时，这些学生均未服用任何药物。
盲人康复学校中失明的原因大多是可避免的，青光眼致盲的学生在康复期间还面临与眼睛相关的额外痛苦发病率。虽然需要针对儿童白内障和青光眼采取预防措施和早期干预，但尤其对于青光眼致盲的学生，需要定期进行眼科会诊并用药。
