There are many causes:-
Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Usher Syndrome, Stargardt Disease, Best Disease, Choroideremia, Retinoschisis, Leber Congenital Amaurosis, Blue-Cone Monochromacy, Cone-Rod Dystrophy, Malattia Leventinese, Oguchi Disease, Rod-Cone Dystrophy, Refsum, Retinitis Punctata Alescens, Bardet-Biedl syndrome.
Causes of Blindness
You can even go blind through stress/ depression. As far as I'm aware no one knows the mechansism behind this.
The prognosis (whether you regain sight or not) depends on the cause and severity of the disease thst caused the blindness.
If you have your eyes covered up during the critial period of the develpoment of sight related neurons in the brain you will also go blind. This is irreversible.
It's a very big question! If you look at the site I posted and want anything explained just post up again.
EDIT-----------
I forgot cataracts, Diabetic retinopathy and Trachoma.