• M U Khan, E Haque, and M R Khan.
• Br. J. Nutr. 1984 Jul 1; 52 (1): 1-9.

AbstractThe prevalence of visual defects, especially from causes associated with nutritional deficiencies, and their relation to diarrhoea in rural Bangladesh have been studied. A trained physician and a team of health workers examined visual defects in 149 villages, with a total population of 182 976. According to WHO classification, night blindness (XN) was found in only 0.03 persons/1000 population and 0.04 were found to have conjunctival xerosis (XIA) and Bitot's spot (XIB). Corneal xerosis (X2, X3A, X3B) also was found in 0.04 persons/1000. Night blindness combined with conjunctival xerosis and Bitot's spot (XN + XIA + XIB) was present in 1.69 persons/1000 and all combined stages of active xerophthalmia were seen in 0.06 persons/1000. Xerophthalmia prevailed up to age 19 years. Males had a significantly higher (2.9) incidence/1000 than did females (1.2). The total rate of keratomalacial scar for all ages was 0.31 persons/1000, while corneal opacity from other causes was seen in 2.25 persons/1000 population. More than 2.06 persons/1000 had ocular manifestations of one or more vitamin A deficiencies, while 4.47 persons/1000 had other ocular diseases, except for cataracts. Only 12.0% of all the corneal scars (XS) were due to keratomalacia. History of night blindness is a good indicator of vitamin A deficiency. In 96% of cases, night blindness was associated with conjunctival xerosis and Bitot's spot (XN + XIA + XIB). The onset of approximately 86% of cases of corneal xerosis (X2, X3A, X3B) and night blindness associated with conjunctival xerosis and Bitot's spot (XN + XIA + XIB) was related to diarrhoea.

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