Strabismus and Amblyopia in Africa – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The objective of this review was to estimate the prevalence of strabismus and amblyopia in Africa. A systematic online literature search was conducted for articles on strabismus and amblyopia in Africa. Meta-analysis was performed, using the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation, to estimate the prevalence of strabismus and amblyopia in Africa. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age, gender, study year, and type of amblyopia. Meta-regression was used to evaluate the influence of predetermined factors on the prevalence of amblyopia. 8 (1 population-based & 7 school-based) and 21 (3 population-based & 18 school-based) studies on strabismus and amblyopia with sample sizes of 22,355 and 46,841, respectively, were included in the review. Overall prevalence of strabismus in Africa was estimated to be 0.8% (95% CI: 0.4% − 1.4%); exotropia was 0.2% (95% CI: 0.1% − 0.5%) and esotropia was 0.5% (95% CI: 0.1% − 1.2%). Overall prevalence of amblyopia was estimated to be 0.6% (95% CI: 0.3% − 0.9%); refractive and strabismic amblyopia were 1.1% (95% CI: 0.2% − 2.5%) and 0.4% (95% CI: 0.2% − 0.6%), respectively. Prevalence estimate of amblyopia in males was 1.8% (95% CI: 0.7% − 3.3%) and in females was 1.3% (95% CI: 0.4% − 2.6%). There was a significant association between the prevalence of amblyopia and the type of amblyopia (p = .007) and the study year (p = .006). Although there appears to be a relatively low prevalence of strabismus and amblyopia in Africa, there is a dearth of well-designed populationbased studies on strabismus and amblyopia in Africa, resulting in the lack of epidemiological information on strabismus and amblyopia within the general African population. Information about the prevalence of strabismus and amblyopia across Africa can inform policy making and design and implementation of public health intervention program

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Symptomatic Dry Eye in Ghana: A cross-sectional population-based study

Purpose This study sought to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of symptomatic dry eye in the general non-clinical Ghanaian population. Methods This was a cross-sectional population-based study conducted from November 2019 to February 2020. A stratified, multistage, random sampling technique was used to select participants aged 18 years and above from the capital cities of eight administrative regions in Ghana. Symptomatic dry eye was assessed using the Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire (OSDI). A study specific structured questionnaire was administered to collect information on participants’ demographics and self-reported risk factors of dry eye disease such as smoking, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, ocular allergies, pregnancy, contact lens wear, use of topical glaucoma medication and multivitamin supplement. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore associations between symptomatic dry eye and participant characteristics. A p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant

Digital Device Use, Computer Vision Syndrome, and Sleep Quality among an African Undergraduate Population

Background. The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of computer vision syndrome (CVS) and poor sleep quality among university students and assess the relationship between digital device usage, CVS, and sleep quality. Methods. A cross-sectional study including undergraduate students was conducted in Ghana between January–March 2020. Information on digital device use and CVS symptoms was collected using a structured questionnaire. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between CVS and digital device use behavior, and linear regression analysis was used to explore the association between sleep quality and digital device use behavior. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results. Mean (SD) age of participants was 20.95 (1.68) years and most (54.97%) of them were females. The prevalence of CVS was 64.36%. Factors associated with CVS included hours of digital device use per day (OR = 4.1, p < 0.001), years of digital device use (OR = 3.0, p < 0.001), adjustment of digital device screen contrast to the surrounding brightness (OR = 1.95, p = 0.014), and presence of glare (OR = 1.79, p = 0.048). Prevalence of poor sleep quality was 62.43%. There was a significant association between poor sleep quality and number of years participants had used a digital device (p = 0.015) and the number of hours they used a digital device per day (p = 0.005). Conclusion. There is a high prevalence of both CVS and poor sleep quality among undergraduate students in Ghana. This represents a significant public health issue that needs attention