Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a disease caused by infection with the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. [1] Symptoms include severe itching, bumps under the skin, and blindness. [1] It is the second-most common cause of blindness due to infection, after trachoma. [6]
Childhood blindness is an important contribution to the national prevalence of the disability of blindness. [3] 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. [4]
Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. [2] The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. [2] This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of the eyes, and eventual blindness. [2]
Onchocerca volvulus is a filarial (arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm) that causes onchocerciasis (river blindness), and is the second-leading cause of blindness due to infection worldwide after trachoma. It is one of the 20 neglected tropical diseases listed by the World Health Organization, with elimination from certain countries expected ...
Toxoplasma chorioretinitis, more simply known as ocular toxoplasmosis, is possibly the most common cause of infections in the back of the eye (posterior segment) worldwide. The causitive agent is Toxoplasma gondii, and in the United States, most cases are acquired congenitally. The most common symptom is decreased visual acuity in one eye.
Congenital blindness is a hereditary disease and can be treated by gene therapy. Visual loss in children or infants can occur either at the prenatal stage (during the time of conception or intrauterine period) or postnatal stage (immediately after birth). [3] There are multiple possible causes of congenital blindness.
There are many diseases known to cause ocular or visual changes. Diabetes , for example, is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in those aged 20–74, with ocular manifestations such as diabetic retinopathy and macular edema affecting up to 80% of those who have had the disease for 15 years or more.
Retinitis is inflammation of the retina in the eye, which can permanently damage the retina and lead to blindness. The retina is the eye's "sensing" tissue. Retinitis may be caused by a number of different infectious agents. Its most common form, called retinitis pigmentosa, has a prevalence of one in every 2,500–7,000 people.