The profile of visual loss in children--a retrospective study in a referral hospital in India.

A retrospective study of 8772 children's records at the department of ophthalmology, North Bengal Medical College, Sushrutanagar, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India was conducted to collect the data on visual loss relating age, gender, degree and aetiology with an object of delineation of the profile of visual loss in children of particular area encircling that referral centre. Out of 8772 children, 126 children were detected to be suffering from visual loss. Of these 126 children, 88(69.84%) were males, 38(30.16%) were females, 75 children (59.52%) had low vision, 51(40.48%) had blindness. The causes of visual loss were cataract in 42 cases (33.33%), corneal pathology in 30(23.80%), high refractive error in 15(11.90%), glaucoma in 14(11.11%), retinal disease in 12(9.52%), global anomalies in 10 (7.94%) and lesion in the higher visual pathway in 3 cases (2.38%). Information obtained from the study possesses a definite role in understanding the background of visual loss in children of a particular area and planning the strategy to control childhood blindness by identification of preventable and treatable causes of blindness.