Ocular manifestations of vitamin-A deficiency in man.

Vitamin-A deficiency continues to be one of the most widely prevalent and devastating nutritional diseases of man. This is in spite of the discovery of vitamin A more than half a century ago and its now ready availability in inexpensive concentrated form. Lack of knowledge at many levels is the basis of this tragic situation, which may result in needless blindness and loss of life, especially among young children.As a contribution to the alleviation of the problem, the present paper has as its object the provision, for the general and hospital physician in those countries where xerophthalmia is endemic, of adequate descriptive and pictorial information to enable him to make an accurate diagnosis of vitamin-A deficiency when he is presented with any stage of the ocular manifestations.