J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  1973 Sep;14(3):230-233.

Blindness Prevention in the Children

• Kim SD

Abstract

The Blindness Prevention strategy has won big battle. Since 1908, "babies' sore eyes" (ophthalmia neonatorum), once the leading blinder of the very young, has been practically wiped out in United States. The precaution is simple two drops of a prophylactic in every baby's eyes right after birth. Since 1936, early discovery and treatment of venereal diseases has led to a 54% drop in blindness from this cause. In the past fourteen years, eye-safety programs have cut blindness due to in juries by 30%. But despite these victories, blindness is increasing. Improved techniques have helped more premature babies to survive but such babies are peculiarly susceptible to a disease called Retrolental Fibroplasia, which destroys vision. School-age youngsters still have about 90,000 eye in juries every year, most of them during unsupervised play. About one thousand of these lead to loss to loss of sight in one or both eyes.

MeSH Terms

Blindness*
Child*
Humans
Parturition
Retinopathy of Prematurity
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
United States