Review article on keratomalacia –from xerophthalmia due to vitamin a deficiency

Abstract

An significant cause of pediatric ocular morbidity remains vitamin A deficiency, more than five million children are affected due to this condition.Annually, xerophthalmia leaves a quarter of a million or more blind.It is also a causes of route, particularly in Africa, for measles-associated blindness.Keratomalacia is uncommon in neonates because it is related to vitamin A deficiency, but it is recorded from developed countries in infants. Malnutrition is one of the primary causes of vitamin A deficiency-blinding deficiency. The treatment is practical and affordable, dependent on oral administration of 200,000 IU of vitamin A for two consecutive days at a cost of 10 cents U.S. Prevention is perhaps more important than care, considering the possible rapidity of corneal necrosis (keratomalacia) and the relative inaccessibility of clinical facilities to those at greatest risk. Oral administration of high-dose vitamins (2000,000 IU per 3 to 6 months), vitamin A fortification of widely eaten products, or, most of all, improved nutritional consumption of natural vitamin A sources will decrease the number of young children who are unnecessarily blind. Given recent evidence that vitamin A deficiency greatly increases overall mortality, even among children without evidence of xerophthalmia, the same prophylactic regimen may improve child survival by 35% or more.