To determine the avoidable causes of childhood blindness in Malaysia and to compare this to other middle income countries, low income countries and high income countries. Data were obtained from a school of the blind study by Patel et al. and analysed for avoidable causes of childhood blindness. Six other studies with previously published data on childhood blindness in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Indonesia, China and the United Kingdom were reviewed for avoidable causes. Comparisons of data and limitations of the studies are described. Prevalence of avoidable causes of childhood blindness in Malaysia is 50.5 % of all the cases of childhood blindness, whilst in the poor income countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Indonesia, the prevalence was in excess of 60 %. China had a low prevalence, but this is largely due to the fact that most schools were urban, and thus did not represent the situation of the country. High income countries had the lowest prevalence of avoidable childhood blindness. In middle income countries, such as Malaysia, cataract and retinopathy of prematurity are the main causes of avoidable childhood blindness. Low income countries continue to struggle with infections such as measles and nutritional deficiencies, such as vitamin A, both of which are the main contributors to childhood blindness. In high income countries, such as the United Kingdom, these problems are almost non-existent.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the most important causes of childhood blindness worldwide. The trend of ROP in Malaysia was unclear because there was no national registry before 2002. The purpose of this study is to analyze ROP students of different ages in the schools for the blind in Malaysia in order to evaluate the trend of ROP from 1992 to 2001. Data were obtained from a previous survey of 24 blind schools. It was found that 78 students or 17.4% were blind/severely visual impaired as a result of ROP. There was a significant surge in the number of ROP students who were born in 1994 when the use of synthetic surfactants was first introduced in Malaysia; otherwise there was no increasing trend in the number of students with ROP. However, the percentage of ROP in total was increasing, which indicates that ROP is becoming a more important cause of childhood blindness in this country.
Thrombocytopenia is classically defined as a platelet count of less than 150 000/µl. Counts from 100 000 to 150 000/µl are considered mildly depressed, 50 000 to 100 000/µl moderately depressed, and less than 50 000/µl severely depressed. Thrombocytopenia occurs in about 10% of pregnant women. Gestational thrombocytopenia (GT) is a diagnosis of exclusion and considered the most prevalent cause of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy. GT accounts for almost 75% of cases of thrombocytopenia in pregnancy. The cause of GT is unclear, although existing studies denote the possibility of accelerated platelet consumption and the increased plasma volume during pregnancy. The presence of antiplatelet antibodies is not specific to GT. The degree of thrombocytopenia in GT is usually mild to moderate, usually remaining greater than 70 000/µl. Patients are asymptomatic with no evidence of bleeding and rarely preconception history of thrombocytopenia. The platelet count returns to normal within 2-12 weeks post partum. We wish to report a unique case of GT presenting as blurred vision due to retinal hemorrhages.
Colloid cysts are rare intracranial tumors most commonly found in the third ventricle. We present a case of colloid cyst of the third ventricle that manifested as bilateral advance optic disc cupping, superior hemifield defects in the visual fields and normal intraocular pressure.