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The paper covers the issues of blindness and disability associated with pathology of the organ of vision. It lists the principal causes of blindness in the developed and developing countries. Basic tendencies in solving the problems of blindness and weak sight are defined. The issues of disability due to pathology of the organ of vision and the ways of its reduction are discussed.

Outlined in the paper are the basic trends and tasks of clinical-and-social ophthalmology--research and practice related with the medical-and-social consequences of disabling visual impairments as well as of blindness and disability due to vision. They comprise: 1) A study of the epidemiological, social-and-hygienic and clinical-and-ophthalmologic aspects of blindness and disability; 2) Scientific elaboration of methodological, clinical, social and managerial positions and criteria of ophthalmologic and of medical-and-social expertise; 3) A theoretical definition of the methodological principles for medical-and-social rehabilitation of the disabled due to vision. Data are presented of the rate of blindness and disability due to ophthalmic pathologies in the Russian Federation. The modern standpoints of ophthalmologic medical-and-social expertise and rehabilitation of persons with visual lesions are elucidated.

The paper analyses late results after treatment of 629 patients with choroidal and ciliary body melanomas. The method of drawing up thorough tables of mortality allowed to receive indices of 5-year survival and lethality after enucleation and organ-preserving methods of treatment. Comparative assessment of effectiveness of enucleation and organ-preserving methods of treatment proves the advantage of the latter in case of small uveal melanomas in the plan of preserving the life, ability to work and professional qualification of the patients.

The role and significance of dispensarization in solution of the problem of prevention and reduction of invalidity due to eye pathology are discussed. The analysis of epidemiologic and clinical data has revealed contingents with the highest factors of risk of invalidization requiring immediate dispensarization. Shortcomings and tasks of dispensarization of certain organized contingents are elucidated, of them pupils of schools for blind and poor-sighted children and invalids working at enterprises of societies of the blind. The necessity is emphasized to develop differentiated programmes for dispensarization as a valuable measure for prevention and reduction of blindness, poor vision and invalidity due to eye pathology.