Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.08.1981, Page 37

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ur. Stofnsetja þarf þjónustustöð fyrir sjón-
skert fólk, sjónhjálp (low vision clinic),
sem sæi um mátun og útvegun sjónglerja,
þegar venjuleg gleraugu kæmu ekki að not-
um. I <sambandi við slíka sjónhjálp þarf að
skapa aðstöðu fyrir sjónþjálfa (synpeda-
gog), sem annast endurþjálfun fólks, sem
misst hefur sjón.
Blindrafélagið í Reykjavík hefur unnið
ómetanlegt starf fyrir alvarlega sjónskert
fólk á sviði félags- atvinnu- og húsnæðis-
mála.
Brýnustu úrbætur á sviði blinduvama
tel ég vera:
1. Lögskráning á sjónskertu fólki. Er slík
skráning forsenda þess, að liœgt sé a8
skipuleggja þjónustu til varnar blindu.
2. Allsherjar skráning glákusjúklinga og
sykursjúkra, en þeir eru stærsti áhættu-
hópur blindu, sem oft er unnt að hálda
í skefjum, ef nógu fljótt er gripiö í
taumana.
3. Leit aö áhættuhóp hægfara gláku meö
augnþrýstingsmœlingu á lieilsugæslu-
stöövum og þar sem liópskoöanir fara
fram.
I{. Stofnsetja þjónustumiöstöö fyrir sjón-
skert fólk (low vision clinic) og skapa
þarf aöstööu fyrir sjónþjálfa, sem annast
endurþjálfun þeirra, sem oröiö hafa fyrir
varanlegu sjóntapi.
SUMMARY
Blindness in Iceland
A review of legally blind persons in Iceland
1. dec. 1979.
In a special survey 419 legally blind per-
sons (212 males and 207 females were traced
throughout the whole country at the end of
the year 1979.
(Legal blindness: 6/60 maximal corrected
visual acuity better eye.)
The survey was based on information from
all the ophthalmologists in the country, the
Blindness Association, the library for the blind,
Community Physicians and several other sour-
ces.
The rate of legal blindness was found to be
185.1 per 100.000 population. By using the loco-
motor vision criteria (3/60 Snellen) the rate
is 120 and if the total blindness and no useful
vision criteria is used the rate is 57 per
100.000 pop. Two thirds of the legal blind popu-
lation are socially or industrially blind.
The most common primary causes of legal
blindness are senile macular degeneration
(42%), open angle glaucoma (18.6%), and pre-
natal influence (20.4)%. Diabetic retinopathy
accounts for only 2.5%.
The blindness rate in Iceland has decreased
a great deal the past three decades. In 1950
the crude rate was 300 pr. 100.000 pop. The
blindness criteria at that time was 3/60. The
comparative figure in this: survey is 120. The
cause of this decline of the blindness rate is
due to decrease in glaucoma blindness.
The blindness rate in the lower age groups
is almost stationary.
It is noteworthy that blindness from senile
cataract is only 1.3% of all the blind popula-
tion, much less than among other nations.
This fact reflects at least on the hospital eye
service in the country.
The blindness rate in Iceland has in the past
two or three decades fallen from the highest
blindness rate in Europe to one of the lowest.
It is suggested that recording of visually
handicapped people and glaucoma patients
should be compulsory.
A low vision clinic is a goal to be aiming
at as there is now no speciai service in Ice-
iand of that kind.
HEIMILDIR
1. Bird, A.C.: Prevention of blindness due to
senile disciform macular degeneration.
Trans. ophthal. Soc. U.K. 98, 1978.
2. Björnsson, G.: Blinda á Islandi. Lækna-
blaðið 38. árg. 5. tbl. 1954.
3. Björnsson, G.: Prevalence and causes of
blindness in lceland. Amer. J. Ophthal. 39:
2, 1955.
4. Björnsson, G.: The primary glaucoma in
Iceland. Acta Ophthal. Supplementum 91,
1967.
5. Björnsson, G.: Augnhagur Borgfirðinga.
Læknaneminn 4. tbl. 31. árg. 1978.
6. Björnsson, G.: Af hagleik læknishanda.
Læknablaðið Fylgirit No. 2, 1978.
7. Björnsson, G.: Gláka á göngudeild. Lækna-
blaðið 65. árg., 5. tbl. 1979.
8. Björnsson, G. & Halldórsson, S.: Sjónskert
börn, Læknablaðið 65. árg., 4. tbl. 1979.
9. Blindness and partial sight in England
1969-76. Reports on Public Health and
Medical Subjects No. 129, 1979.
10. Estimated statistics on blindness and vi-
sual problems. The National Society for
the Prevention of Blindness, Inc. New
York, 1966.
11. Goldstein, H., & Goldberg, I.D.: The model
reporting area for blindness statistics.
Sightsav. Rev. 32, 1962.
12. Halldórsson, S., Björnsson, G.: Childhood
blindness in Iceland. Acta Ophthal. Vol.
58, 1980.
13. Hatfield, E. M.: Estimates of Blindness
in the United States. Sightsav. Rev. 43,
1973.
14. Kohner, E. M.: Diabetic retinopathy clinics