02242nas a2200337   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653000900065653002500074653002500099653003000124653001100154653001100165653001400176653001200190653000900202653001600211653001000227100001600237700001500253700001400268700002000282245007000302856005900372300001000431490000700441050003200448520141000480022001401890       1994                            d  c1994 Sep10aAdult10aAged10aConfidence Intervals10aDeveloping countries10aEye Infections, Bacterial10aFemale10aHumans10aIncidence10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aNepal1 aLubbers W J1 aSchipper A1 aHogeweg M1 aDe Soldenhoff R00aEye disease in newly diagnosed leprosy patients in eastern Nepal.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/1994/v65n3/pdf/v65n3a09.pdf  a231-80 v65  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>To determine the magnitude of eye lesions in newly diagnosed leprosy patients we examined their eyes. The Eastern Leprosy Control Project was supported by The Netherlands Leprosy Relief Association; we used the regional clinic in Biratnagar and 5 mobile clinics in surrounding districts as our survey area. All patients who presented at the clinics over 10 weeks, diagnosed as having untreated leprosy were included. Of the 260 examined patients 97 (37.3%, 95% confidence interval 28.3-40.3%) had an eye lesion; 12/260 patients (4.6%, 95% confidence interval 2.0-7.2%) had sight-threatening lesions (lagophthalmos, iris involvement, corneal anaesthesia), directly related to leprosy; 46 (17.7%) patients were diagnosed as having some degree of cataract; 2 patients were aphakic; 3 patients (1.2%) were blind according to the WHO definition. In this series of new and untreated leprosy patients many eye lesions found are not relevant or leprosy related. There were 9 new patients with lagophthalmos, some too longstanding to treat with steroids. We found 3 patients with iris involvement. The figures we found for eye lesions, sight-threatening lesions and blindness are low when compared to other studies. The number of patients with any grade of cataract is high. The average total of leprosy patients who were blind can be compared with the average total who are blind in the general population.</p>  a0305-7518