London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Table (i)
| Age | Principal cause of defective vision | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract | Glaucoma | Retrolental fibroplasia | Oilier conditions | ||
| 1 | — | — | 7 | ||
| 5-15 years | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 |
| 16-64 years | 20 | 17 | — | 168 | 205 |
| 65-74 years | 60 | 31 | — | 143 | 234 |
| 75 years and over | 181 | 50 | — | 312 | 543 |
| Age not known | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
| 264 | 99 | — | 631 | 994 | |
| (b) No. recommended to obtain treatment | 177 | 77 | 338 | 592 | |
| 67.0 | 77.8 | — | 53.6 | 59.6 | |
Table (ii)
| No. of patients examined | Treatments recommended | Optical | Hospital supervision | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Medical | Surgical | ||||||
| Early | Later | if general condition permits | ||||||
| Cataract | 264 | 87 | 20 | 40 | 31 | 23 | 15 | 75 |
| Glaucoma | 100 | 22 | 22 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 57 |
| Retrolental fibroplasia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Other conditions | 630 | 293 | 72 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 43 | 240 |
| TOTAL | 994 | 402 | 114 | 57 | 48 | 33 | 60 | 372 |
Persons recommended to obtain treatment are re-examined at intervals after the
initial registration. The number of persons re-examined for this reason in 1958 is shown
in Table (iii).
Table (iii)
| Principal cause of defective vision | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract | Glaucoma | Retrolental fibroplasia | Other conditions | ||
| No. of persons re-examined | 207 | 57 | — | 263 | 527 |
| No. found to have had treatment | 151 | 43 | — | 177 | 371 |
| Percentage treated | 72.9 | 75.4 | — | 67.3 | 70.4 |
As a consequence of successful treatment, 15 persons previously registered as blind
were found, on re-examination, to be partially-sighted and 5 persons previously
certified as blind or partially-sighted were found to be improved to such an extent as
no longer to justify registration.
Figures for ophthalmia neonatorum are given on page 20.