NEED FOR VISION REHABILITATION IN INDIA - SURVEY OF A PRIVATE EYE HOSPITAL

Purpose: To determine the visual success outcomes following treatment in an urban private eye hospital in India. Methods: A retrospective su rvey mas done of 4122 consecutive files of fee-paying patients admitte d to a private eye hospital in Hyderabad during a 3-month period in 19 96. Data obtained a minimum of 4 months after completion of treatment included age, sex, diagnosis and distance visual acuity in the best ey e. Results: After completion of treatment 86.5% of patients had normal vision, 10.9% had low vision and 2.5% were blind. Of the people with low vision or blindness after treatment, 81.7% had a best corrected vi sual acuity of between 6/18 and 6/60. The 4 most common causes of low vision after treatment were unoperated cataract (20.4%), glaucoma (13. 3%), diabetic retinopathy (12.4%) and retinitis pigmentosa (10.2%). Co nclusion: The visual success rates in an urban Indian private eye hosp ital appear high with nearly 90% of patients achieving normal vision a fter the completion of treatment.