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 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Table (i)
| Age | Principal cause of defective vision | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract | Glaucoma | Retrolental fibroplasia | Other conditions | Total | |
| 0-4 years | 2 | — | 12 | 16 | |
| 5-15 years | — | — | — | 7 | 7 |
| 16-64 years | 24 | 14 | — | 191 | 229 |
| 65-74 years | 65 | 23 | — | 157 | 245 |
| 75 years and over | 161 | 41 | — | 332 | 534 |
| Age not known | — | 1 | — | 4 | 5 |
| 252 | 79 | 2 | 703 | 1,036 | |
| (b) No. recommended to obtain treatment | 180 | 58 | 1 | 352 | 591 |
| (b) as percentage of (a) | 71.4 | 73.4 | 50.0 | 50.1 | 57.0 |
Table (ii)
| No. of patients examined | Treatments recommended | Optical | Hospital supervision | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Medical | Surgical | ||||||
| Early | Later | If general condition permits | ||||||
| Cataract | 252 | 72 | 18 | 58 | 21 | 18 | 4 | 94 |
| Glaucoma | 79 | 21 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 49 |
| Retrolental fibroplasia | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Other conditions | 703 | 351 | 60 | 19 | 23 | 9 | 36 | 262 |
| Total | 1,036 | 445 | 91 | 78 | 47 | 28 | 43 | 406 |
Persons recommended to obtain treatment are re-examined at intervals after the initial
registration. The number of persons re-examined for this reason in 1959 is shown in
table (iii).
Table (iii)
| Principal cause of defective vision | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract | Glaucoma | Retrolental fibroplasia | Other conditions | Total | |
| No. of persons re-examined | 183 | 55 | — | 339 | 577 |
| No. found to have had treatment | 146 | 51 | — | 185 | 382 |
| Percentage treated | 79.8 | 92.7 | 54.6 | 66.2 | |
As a consequence of successful treatment, 15 persons previously registered as blind
were found, on re-examination, to be partially-sighted and 15 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 23.
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