Awareness and Knowledge of Glaucoma among Health Workers in Butajira General Hospital, South Ethiopia

Background: Raising awareness and knowledge of glaucoma is a key means of enhancing people alertness, increasing regular eye screening  practice, and the chance of identifying undetected cases. Health professionals other than ophthalmologists are often the first point of contact when  patients seek medical advice. However, little is known about the awareness and knowledge of glaucoma among health care professionals in  Ethiopia.The objective of this study was to determine general awareness and knowledge of glaucoma among health workers in Butajira General Hospital. Methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Butajira Hospital in September and October 2021 among health care providers. All  health workers except those on leave and the staff in the department of Ophthalmology were included in the study. The awareness and knowledge  were assessed using a selfadministered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was computed to describe the study variable, and logistic regression  was conducted to see associations between dependent and independent variables. Significant associations were declared at p-values <0.05. Result: This study showed that 184 (91.1%) had an awareness of glaucoma among the study participants, whereas 8.9% had never heard about  glaucoma. Of those who were aware, only 42% have good knowledge.Professionals who had a history of eye examinations and family history of  glaucoma were about 3.0 times more likely to have good knowledge. Conclusion: Fifty-eight percent of clinical professionals from Butajira Hospital had no awareness at all or had poor knowledge about glaucoma.  Being a physician, history of eye examinations, and having a family history of glaucoma were factors related to glaucoma knowledge.&nbsp

Prevalence of ocular pseudoexfoliation in Baso and Worena District, central Ethiopia

Background: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome is an accumulation of fibrillary extracellular material in the anterior segment of the eye. It is the most common identifiable cause of glaucoma. Objective: To assess the prevalence of pseudoexfoliation syndrome and its association with high intraocular pressure and glaucoma in Baso and Worena District, central Ethiopia. Methods and subjects: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Baso and Worena District, central Ethiopia, from 09 January to 08 February 2018. After a systematic random selection of participants, a questionnaire was administered. Study participants were then examined to assess the anterior segment of their eyes (using a portable slit lamp), measure intraocular pressure (using a Tono-pen AVIA®), and assess the dilated fund us of each eye (using a direct ophthalmoscope). Results: A total of 682 people above 40 years of age were examined. The study participants’ ages ranged from 40 to 89 years. The prevalence of pseudoexfoliation syndrome was found to be 13.2% for patients ≥40 years old (90/682), 17.6% for those ≥50 years old (85/483), 23.1% for those ≥60 years old (74/320), 34.1% for those ≥70 years old (42/123), and 27.8% for those ≥80 years old (5/18). Seventy one (78.9%) of the 90 participants who were found to have pseudoexfoliation syndrome had bilateral involvement and 19 (21.1%) had unilateral involvement. Prevalence increased with age and was highest for those aged 70 to 79. In twenty nine (32.2%) of the 90 cases, pseudoexfoliation syndrome was associated with high intraocular pressure, and 13 (14.4%) had high intraocular pressure and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma. Conclusions and recommendations: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome is common in Baso and Worena District, central Ethiopia. It represents one of the major risk factors for glaucoma. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2020; 34(1):54-58] Key words: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome, glaucoma, intraocular pressur

Efficacy and Safety of Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty among Ethiopian Glaucoma Patients

Background. Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a safe and effective treatment modality for lowering intraocular pressure (IOP). Purpose. To determine the efficacy and safety of SLT among Ethiopian patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG), and ocular hypertension (OHT). Method. A prospective, nonrandomized interventional study was conducted at Menelik II Hospital, Ethiopia. Patients on antiglaucoma medication with uncontrolled IOP and those patients treated for the first time with 360 degrees of SLT were included. Success was defined as an IOP lowering of > 20% from baseline without repeat treatment. Result. A total of 95 eyes of 61 patients with a diagnosis of OAG and OHT were enrolled. The diagnosis was POAG in 55 (57.9%) eyes, PXG in 22 (23.2%) eyes, and OHT in 18 (18.9%) eyes. Seventy (73.7%) eyes were on medications, and 25 (26.3%) eyes were treated with laser as primary therapy. The mean (SD) baseline IOP and medication were 24.3 ± 2.5 mmHg and 1.29 ± 1.01, respectively. The one-year mean (SD) IOP reduction was 6.7 ± 4.2 mmHg and medication reduction was 0.26 ± 1.34. The overall IOP reduction at 12 months was 27.6%, and the success rate was 60%. The mean IOP (SD) reduction for patients who were treated for the first time with laser and on antiglaucoma medication was 6.5 ± 3.1 mmHg and 6.8 ± 2.8 mmHg, respectively. Post-SLT, patients experienced transient ocular pain, brow ache, headache, and/or blurring of vision in 31.6%, anterior chamber reaction in 36.8%, and IOP spike ≥ 6 mmHg in 11.6%. Conclusion. SLT is an effective and safe treatment modality for OHT, POAG, and PXG among Ethiopian patients either as a first-line treatment or as an adjunct to topical glaucoma treatment