CAUSAS DE DISCAPACIDAD VISUAL EN CAMPAÑA DE PREVENCIÓN DE CEGUERA, FUNDACIÓN BOLIVIANA DE OFTALMOLOGÍA 2012

Abstract

Background: The eighty percent of environmental stimuli are perceived through the visual system. Alterations in its physiology have an important impact in health. It also affects psychological, social and productively, being a major cause of disability. It is anticipated that the number of visually impaired will increase signi� cantly by 2020. Objective: To determine the causes of low visual acuity and visual impairment in people attending to screening for blindness campaign in the Bolivian Foundation of Ophthalmology (FBO). Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive and exploratory study. Study population consists of people over 50 years old who visited the FBO for prevention campaign referring low vision. Variables studied were age, sex, best corrected visual acuity in both eyes, the presence of low visual acuity and causes of low visual acuity. Intervening variables included medical and surgical history. Data collection techniques were direct observation and review of medical records of patients. Results: We studied 260 subjects. We found visual acuity less than 20/60 in 140 subjects, 71% of them were visually impaired. The main causes of low visual acuity were cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Discussion and Conclusions:The prevalence of low visual acuity is superior to that found in other studies, due to the recruitment mode of study population. The causes of low visual acuity coincide with the statements by most authors. It is found that cataract is the leading cause of low visual acuity.