Causes of blindness among patients seen at the Jordanian Hospital in Gaza

Abstract EN

Objective : to determine the common causes of blindness in the Gaza strip area for patients who were seen at the Ophthalmology Clinic in the Jordanian Field Hospital.

Methods : A review of 2090 patients who were seen at the Ophthalmology Clinic in the Jordanian Field Hospital in Gaza during the period between 26th December, 2009 and 28th February, 2010 were described.

Age, gender, level of vision and common causes of blindness were also studied among patients in the study group.

Simple statistical methods (frequency, percentage) were used to describe the study variables.

Results : One hundred and sixty-four eyes in males and 98 eyes in females were found to be blind, 59.83 % of the bilateral cases were found in males and 46.94 % in females.

It was found that the leading causes of blindness in male patients were trauma and retinitis pigments, while congenital exophthalmia, congenital glaucoma and senile cataract were found to be the predominant causes in females.

The predominant age group in blind males was the group of between (16-30) years, and in females the group between (Day one–15 years) for the congenital anophthalmia and (31-41years) among cataract patients.

Finally, regarding level of vision, the predominant level was found to be less than counting fingers close in 62.4 % of blind males and 69.4 % in blind females.

Conclusion : Efforts should be spent to reduce trauma which is a major cause of blindness in this area, these measures may include rules for fastening car seat built, increasing efforts to educate the community towards reduction of school / home violence incidents.

In addition, health education programs towards Violence Injury Prevention and including it in the School and University Curriculum.