Childhood blindness
Childhood blindness is an important cause contributing to the burden of blindness. Blindness in children can be defined as a visual acuity of <3/60 in the eye with better vision of a child under 16 years of age. This generally means that the child cannot see something 10 feet (about 3 meters) away, that another child could see if it was 200 feet (about 60 meters) away. Causes. There are many causes of blindness in children. Blindness may be due to genetic mutations, birth defects, premature birth, nutritional deficiencies, infections, injuries, and other causes. Severe retinopathy  of prematurity (ROP), cataracts, Vitamin A deficiency and refractive error are also causes. The most frequently affected parts of the eyes are: Mechanism. Childhood blindness has many causes, and each cause has its own method of damaging the eyes. Leber congenital amaurosis primarily affects the retina, and typically severe visual impairment begins in infancy. Mutations in Aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein like-1 have been linked to Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Diagnosis. The diagnosis of childhood blindness is done via methods to ascertain the degree of visual impairment in the affected child doing so via "dilating eye drops" and the proceeding  eye exam. Prevention. Vitamin A deficiency is a top cause of preventable childhood blindness. For children who have measles, there is insufficient evidence to determine if vitamin A is effective at reducing the risk of vision loss. Treatment. Whether blindness is treatable depends upon the cause. Surgical intervention can be performed in cases of primary congenital glaucoma. A 2020 review found no difference between combined trabeculotomy and trabeculectomy (CTT) and routine conventional trabeculotomy, or between viscotrabeculotomy and routine conventional trabeculotomy. The review also found that the 360-degree circumferential trabeculotomy may show greater surgical success than conventional trabeculotomy but that  further research with one year follow-up was needed. Management. Braille is a universal way to learn how to read and write, for the blind. A refreshable braille display is an assistive learning device that can help such children in school. Schools for the blind are a form of management, however the limitations of using studies done in such schools has been recognized. Children that are enrolled presently, usually, had developed blindness 5 or more years prior to enrollment, consequently not reflecting current possible causes. About 66% of children with visual impairment also have one other disability (comorbidity), be it , intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, or hearing loss. Eye care/screening for children within primary health care is important as catching ocular disease issues can lead to better outcomes. Epidemiology. The number of children who suffer from blindness worldwide is approximately 1.4 million. 75% of the world’s blind children live in Africa and Asia. A 2014 review indicated that an estimated 238,500 children with bilateral blindness (rate 1.2/1,000) live in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Society and culture. VISION 2020 is a program launched by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and is supported by the WHO in  1999 that has made controlling blindness in children a high priority.