Causes of Blindness in Thammasat Eye Center

Woranart Tattiyakul¹, Nichadee Sukjira^2*, Kritrath Panittaveekul³, Suntaree Thitiwichienlert⁴, Pakornkit Phrueksaudomchai¹, Promporn Patarajierapun¹

¹Cornea and Refractive Surgery Specialist, Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand
²General Ophthalmologist, Amnat-Charoen Hospital, Thailand
³Vitreoretinal Specialist and Pediatric and Strabismus Specialist, Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand
⁴Pediatric and Strabismus Specialist, Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand

*Correspondence author: Nichadee Sukjira, MD, General Ophthalmologist at Amnat-Charoen Hospital, Thailand; Email: [email protected]

Citation: Tattiyakul W, et al. Causes of Blindness in Thammasat Eye Center. J Ophthalmol Adv Res. 2025;6(2):1-5.

Copyright^© 2025 by Tattiyakul W, et al. All rights reserved. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Table 1: Demographic data.

This paper “Other acquired posterior segment diseases” encompass a range of ocular conditions affecting the back part of the eye. These include retinal detachment, macular hole, epiretinal membrane, retinitis pigmentosa, retinal vascular diseases, central serous chorioretinopathy and posterior uveitis. On the other hand, a separate category comprises “All other globe/CNS abnormalities”. These encompass optic nerve hypoplasia, papilledema, nystagmus, strabismus, ocular motor disorders, Horner’s syndrome, ocular myasthenia gravis, cranial nerve palsies, Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) and cortical blindness (Table 2,3).

Table 2: Causes of blindness RE.

Table 3: Percentage of disease in each visual range.

Results

A total of 21,916 eyes were included in the analysis. The mean age of participants was 61 years. Among the participants, 58.84% were female. Visual impairment was categorized into four degrees: normal vision, mild visual impairment, moderate visual impairment, severe visual impairment and blindness. The percentage distribution among these categories was 57.81%, 21.90%, 11.30%, 2.19% and 6.8%, respectively. The most common etiology of visual impairment was “Refractive error,” accounting for 21.11% of cases, followed by “untreated cataract” (5.71%), “Other acquired posterior segment diseases” (4.11%), “Diabetic retinopathy” (3.76%), “Glaucoma” (2.57%) and “Corneal opacity” (1.42%). Other causes contributed to smaller percentages of cases.

Among participants with blindness, the highest percentage of visual loss was attributed to “Other acquired posterior segment diseases” (22.2%), followed by “Glaucoma” (18.71%), ” All other globe/CNS abnormalities” (12.47%) and ” Diabetic retinopathy ” (12.01%). In contrast, for participants with mild visual impairment, the main cause of visual loss was “Refractive error” (80.7%), while in cases of moderate visual impairment, “Refractive error” also dominated as the primary cause (28.48%). Notably, ” Other acquired posterior segment diseases ” was identified as the main cause of severe visual impairment (24.64%). Additionally, the study observed that medical blindness in both the right and left eyes was rare, affecting only 0.14% of the total participants, while the vast majority had no medical blindness (98.34%).

Conclusion

This comprehensive analysis of the causes of visual impairment and blindness within the population served by the Thammasat Eye Center offers critical insights into addressing preventable and treatable conditions. The predominant causes identified-namely “Refractive error,” “Diabetic retinopathy,” “Glaucoma,” and “Age-related macular degeneration”-highlight key areas for targeted interventions and public health initiatives. Early detection and management of these conditions emerge as paramount strategies for alleviating the burden of visual impairment. The Thammasat Eye Center, functioning as a tertiary care facility, plays a pivotal role in this endeavor. Its commitment to advanced treatments, access to cutting-edge technology and specialized medical expertise, as reflected in the allocated budget for patient care, underscores its dedication to optimizing patient outcomes and visual health.

The major cause of blindness within the population served by the Thammasat Eye Center is “Other acquired posterior segment disssseases” which are unpreventable cause. Notably, the rarity of medical blindness in both eyes, affecting only a minuscule percentage of participants, underscores the Center’s efficacy in preventing and managing conditions that may lead to severe visual loss or blindness. The insights gleaned from this study hold significant implications for healthcare providers and policymakers alike. They inform the development of strategies to enhance eye care services, promote eye health awareness and ensure equitable access to vision screening-especially crucial in a tertiary care setting like the Thammasat Eye Center. This body of work not only advances our understanding of the causes and prevalence of visual impairment and blindness but also serves as a foundational resource for shaping evidence-based policies and interventions to improve eye health on a global scale.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding Details

No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

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