© 2015 Journal of ophthalmic and Vision research | published by Wolters KluWer- medKnoW 279 Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment and Blindness in Central Iran

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment (VI) in Yazd, central Iran. Methods: This population‑based, cross‑sectional study was performed on adults aged 40–80 years, residing in Yazd district, in 2010–2011. Eligible subjects were selected using cluster random sampling. Each participant underwent an interview and complete ophthalmologic examination. Blindness and VI were defined as best‑corrected visual acuity (VA) <3/60 and < 6/18 in the better eye, respectively. Results: Out of 2,320 eligible individuals, 2,098 participated in the study (90.4 % response rate), of whom, 2,023 subjects completed all evaluations. The standardized prevalence of blindness and VI were 0.7% (95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.3–1.0%) and 4.4 % (95 % CI, 3.3–5.4%), respectively which was significantl