Causes of visual impairment in Campaign to Prevent Blindness, Ophthalmology Bolivian Foundation 2012 (Causas de discapacidad visual en campa a de prevención de ceguera, Fundación Boliviana de Oftalmología 2012)

Background: The eighty percent of environmental stimuli areperceived through the visual system. Alterations in its physiologyhave an important impact in health. It also affects psychological,social and productively, being a major cause of disability. It is anticipatedthat the number of visually impaired will increase significantly by 2020.Objective: To determine the causes of low visual acuity and visualimpairment in people attending to screening for blindness campaignin the Bolivian Foundation of Ophthalmology (FBO).Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive and exploratory study. Studypopulation consists of people over 50 years old who visitedthe FBO for prevention campaign referring low vision. Variablesstudied were age, sex, best corrected visual acuity in both eyes,the presence of low visual acuity and causes of low visual acuity.Intervening variables included medical and surgical history. Datacollection techniques were direct observation and review of medicalrecords of patients.Results: We studied 260 subjects. We found visual acuity less than20/60 in 140 subjects, 71% of them were visually impaired. Themain causes of low visual acuity were cataracts, macular degenerationand glaucoma.Discussion and Conclusions:The prevalence of low visual acuityis superior to that found in other studies, due to the recruitmentmode of study population. The causes of low visual acuity coincidewith the statements by most authors. It is found that cataract is theleading cause of low visual acuity. -RESUMEN: Introducción: Se percibe el 80% de estímulos ambientales a travésdel sistema visual, alteraciones en su funcionamiento repercuten enla salud, funcionamiento psicológico, social y productivo del afectado,siendo una causa importante de discapacidad. Se prevé que elnúmero de discapacitados visuales se incremente signifi cativamentepara el 2020.Objetivo: Determinar las causas de baja de agudeza visual y discapacidadvisual en las personas que acuden a preselección para lacampa a de prevención de ceguera en la Fundación Boliviana deOftalmología (FBO).Material y Métodos: Estudio transversal, descriptivo, exploratorio.Población del estudio conformada por personas mayores de 50a os que acudieron a la FBO para la campa a de prevención contrala ceguera refi riendo baja visión. Variables estudiadas fueron:edad, genero, agudeza visual con mejor corrección en ambos ojos,presencia de baja de agudeza visual y causas de baja de agudezavisual, como variables intervinientes se incluyeron antecedentespatológicos y quirúrgicos Se accedió a la fuente primaria de datos,las técnicas de recolec