Causes of Blindness and Severe Visual Impairment in Children in Schools for the Blind in East Azerbaijan State

Purpose: to determine the anatomical site and underlying causes of blindness and severe visual impairment (bl/svi), in schools for the blind in east azerbaijan state with determining potentially preventable and treatable causes.methods: between october 2003 and november 2004 a total of 124 students attending three schools for the blind in east azerbaijan state were examined clinically and data reported using the who/pbl childhood blindness assessment form.results: most of the students (91.9%) were blind. the major causes of bl/svi in our study were: retinal dystrophy (mainly early onset retinitis pigmentosa) in 34.7% of participents; cataract and aphakia in l4.5%; corneal scar/haze in 15.4% and microphthalmus in 13.7%. the retina was the major anatomical site of visual loss (41.1%) followed by the whole globe (23.4%), lens (14.5%), cornea (15.3%) and optic nerve (5.6%).conclusion: a relatively high proportion of childhood blindness in east azerbaijan state has avoidable causes. most cases of corneal scars and phthisis can be prevented, and cataract is potentially treatable condition