136 CHAPTER FOUR (by the WHO definition of blindness) of 0.55 per 1,000 persons (Table 4-23). Findings from Nepal indicate 101,000 blind among 12,393,000 persons ages 4- 74, a blindness prevalence of 8.1 per 1,000 persons in this age group (Table 4-24). Both studies represent the noninstitutionalized population of their respective countries. There are probably more institutionalized blind in the United States than in Nepal, though precise figures are not avail- able for comparable groups. TABLE 4-23. AGE-SEX-SPECIFIC BLINDNESS PREVALENCE RATES FOR PERSONS AGES 4-74 (U.S. HANES, 1971-72)a U.S. Population (1,000s) Blindness Prevalence per 1,000 Blind (<3/60) Sighted Total Male 4-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 Total male Female 4-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 Total female 10 39,347 12,030 11,782 11,284 8,714 5,452 88,609 39,357 12,030 11,782 11,284 8,721 5,465 88,639 0.25 --- 7 13 30 0.80 2.38 0.34 - 39,131 13,748 12,318 12,179 9,875 7,200 94,451 39,131 13,748 12,320 12,185 9,897 7,241 94,522 - 2 6 22 41 71 0.16 0.49 2.22 5.66 0.75 Total 101 183,060 183,161 0.55 a Data obtained from Roberts and Ludford (1977). Of course, the age and sex distribution of the U.S. population in 1971-72 and the Nepal population in 1980-81 are quite different, since the Nepal population is considerably younger than the U.S. population. Comparisons of crude blindness prevalence rates for these two populations is misleading and understates the actual differences in blindness prevalence. Nonetheless, it is surprising that there are virtually as many blind persons in Nepal as there are in the United States, despite large differences in population size be-
