Objective: To assess prevalence and causes of corneal blindness in four hospitals in Thailand and to compare the causes between hospitals.
Material and method: A retrospective chart review of six hundred and sixty four patients records with best-corrected visual acuity not better than 6/60 in at least one eye due to corneal disease in Siriraj, Mettapracharak, Sappasitthiprasong and Banmee Hospitals in a one-year period were reviewed. The collected data included age, sex, laterality, causes of corneal blindness, and prognosis.
Results: Seven hundred and sixty nine eyes with corneal blindness and a median age of 55.0 years were reviewed Leading causes of cornea blindness were corneal infection (35.6%), surgical bullous keratopathy (27.8%), and trauma (14.0%). The prevalence at Siriraj Hospital was 1.7% (498/28,728 patients). Most of the treatable cases (84.6%) underwent penetrating keratoplasty procedures and 73% of patients had a chance of recovery.
Conclusion: Corneal infection and surgical bullous keratopathy were the leading causes of corneal blindness.