Blindness (gradual onset bilateral loss)
The most common cause of gradual onset bilateral blindness in the developed world is macular degeneration which is more common in non-insulin dependent diabetics.
Diabetic retinopathy is the second most common cause, and the leading cause of new blindness in adults aged between 25 and 64.
Other causes include:
- diabetic maculopathy
- hypertensive retinopathy
- cataracts (the commonest cause of any type of blindness overall globally)
- chronic glaucoma
- chiasmal or bilateral optic nerve compression
- bilateral optic nerve damage, e.g. tobacco amblyopia
Worldwide, chlamydial infection causing trachoma is a common cause.
Reference
- Wolfram C et al. The Prevalence of Visual Impairment in the Adult Population. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019 Apr 26;116(17):289-295.
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