The Causes of Blindness

A recent analysis of data indicates that vitamin Athe sclera. Trachoma is contagious. It is spread by
deficiency is the leading cause of childhoodflies and contact with towels and other articles
blindness. It was estimated that 70% of thethat have been used by people who have the
500,000 children who become blind annually do sodisease. Physicians can cure the disease in the
because of xerophthalmia. This corresponds to aearly stages by using medicines.
prevalence of roughly 1 million in view of the highThere are different causes of change blindness.
mortality among affected children.According to scientists, change blindness can
Hemianopsia can result when a hemorrhagic,happen as a result of disturbance or disruption in
thrombotic, or embolic stroke affects part of thevisual continuity. This disruption can be either due
optic pathway Associated signs and symptomsto eye saccade, an eyelid flicker, an eye blink, a
vary according to the location and size of theshift of the picture or even a film cut in case of a
stroke, but may include a decreased LOC;motion picture. In order to differentiate changes in
intellectual deficits, such as memory loss and poorthe vision, it is important that there is effective
judgment; personality changes; emotional lability; acoordination between the eye and the brain
headache; and seizures The patient may alsowhere one image is compared with another image
develop contralateral hemiplegia, dysarthria,that already exists in the memory.
dysphagia, ataxia, a unilateral sensory loss,Diseases: These are the leading cause of blindness.
apraxia, agnosia, aphasia, blurred vision, decreasedThere are a variety of diseases that lead to
visual acuity, and diplopiablindness. Popular among these glaucoma,
The link between poverty and treatable visualtrachoma, cataracts, uveitis and diabetic
impairment is most obvious when conductingretinopathy. While in some cases blindness occurs
regional comparisons of cause. Most adult visualas a result of a parasitic infection in the eye, in
impairment in North America and Western Europeothers it occurs as a result of malnutrition.
is related to age-related macular degeneration andBlindness due to vitamin A deficiency is common
diabetic retinopathy. While both of these conditionsin most of the developing and under-developed
are subject to treatment, neither can be cured.countries.
Another common cause is retinopathy ofGlaucoma generally affects older people. This
prematurity. In developing countries, whereinhappens when fluids in the eye build up and cause
people have shorter life expectancies, cataractstoo much pressure in the eye, damaging
and water-borne parasites—both of which canimportant nerves, etc.. To know what a person
be treated effectively—are most often thefeels like with glaucoma, think of how your eyes
culprits (see River blindness, for example). Of thefeel after coming out of a swimming pool with a
estimated 40 million blind people located aroundlot of chlorine in it. (This does not cause glaucoma,
the world, 70–80% can have some or all ofbut makes the eyes feel as a person does with
their sight restored through treatment.glaucoma)This disease can be prevented and eye
Another disease is called Trachoma.doctors almost always check for glaucoma when
Trachoma is caused by a virus that affects thea patient has an eye exam. If the person who
cornea and the conjunctiva or lining of the eyelid.has glaucoma doesn't take the appropriate
The white part of the eye is called the sclera, andmedicine for the condition, they can lose their
the colored part is the iris. The conjunctiva coverseyesight.