Study assesses link between poverty and blindness in Pakistan

Peshwar, Pakistan-There is a strong association between visual impairment and poverty in Pakistan, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal.

"Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of blindness," said Clare Gilbert, MD, first author of the paper and reader in the International Centre for Eye Health.

The survey examined 16,507 adults over the age of 30 and identified 561 blind individuals. One of the key findings was that the prevalence of blindness is higher in poorer households and deprived areas of Pakistan.

Glasses and cataract surgical coverage were lower in poorer areas and among women, according to the study, which was conducted by the Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology in Peshwar, with support from the International Centre for Eye Health in London.