11 research outputs found
Epidemiology and visual outcomes of ocular injuries in a low resource country
Background: Ocular injury is a major cause of ocular morbidity and
unilateral visual impairment and represents a considerable public
health concern especially in low resource societies. Objective: To
evaluate the epidemiology and visual outcomes of ocular injuries in
southern Ghana Methods: A retrospective hospital-based case series was
conducted. Information on new cases of ocular injuries were retrieved
and parameters including time between injury occurrence and reporting
to the clinic, presenting visual acuity (VA), and the best corrected
final VA were investigated and visual outcomes were assessed Results:
Most (50.2%) of the patients reported to the hospital after a day of
sustaining an ocular injury; workplace injuries, older patients and
farm-related injuries were most likely to report after a day of
sustaining an injury. A significant proportion (40.4%) of patients
reported with good presenting vision (6/6-6/18) which increased to
56.7% after treatment; 45.3% of patients reported with visual
impairment (<6/18) and reduced to 42.4% after treatment. Farming
(AOR = 4.5, p = 0.02), reporting after a day of sustaining injury (AOR
= 78, p< 0.001), workplace injuries (AOR = 3.1, p = 0.007) and
roadside injuries (AOR = 3.1, p = 0.02) were associated with poor
visual outcomes. Initial VA 6/18 or better was the highest predictor of
good visual outcome Conclusion: There is a shift in the pattern of
ocular injury occurrence from work-related to home- related
Near vision spectacle coverage and barriers to near vision correction among adults in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana
Purpose: To determine the near vision spectacle coverage and barriers to obtaining near vision correction among adults aged 35 years and older in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana.Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study design was adopted and 500 out of 576 participants aged 35 years and older were examined from 12 randomly selected clusters in Cape Coast, Ghana. All participants underwent a comprehensive eye examination which included: distance and near visual acuities measurements and external and internal ocular health assessments. Distance and near refractions were performed using subjective refraction technique. Information on participants’ demographics, near vision correction status, near visual needs and barriers to acquiring near vision correction were obtained through a questionnaire administered as part of the study.Results: The mean age of participants was 52.3±10.3 years of whom 280 (56%) were females and 220 (44%) were males. The near vision spectacle coverage was 25%, 33% “met need” for near vision correction in the presbyopic population, and 64% unmet need in the entire study population. After controlling for other variables, age (5th and 6th decades) and educational level were associated with “met need” for near vision correction (OR=2.7 (1.55-4.68), p =0.00, and OR=2.36 (1.18-4.72), p=0.02 respectively). Among those who needed but did not have near vision correction, 64 (26%) did not feel the need for correction, 55 (22%) stated that they were unaware of available interventions, and 53 (21%) found the cost of near vision correction prohibitive.Conclusion: There was a low near vision spectacle coverage in this population which suggests the need for strategies on health education and promotion to address the lack of awareness of spectacle need and cost of services.Keywords: Presbyopia, near vision, spectacle coverage, unmet needs, Ghan
Epidemiology and visual outcomes of ocular injuries in a low resource country
Background: Ocular injury is a major cause of ocular morbidity and
unilateral visual impairment and represents a considerable public
health concern especially in low resource societies. Objective: To
evaluate the epidemiology and visual outcomes of ocular injuries in
southern Ghana Methods: A retrospective hospital-based case series was
conducted. Information on new cases of ocular injuries were retrieved
and parameters including time between injury occurrence and reporting
to the clinic, presenting visual acuity (VA), and the best corrected
final VA were investigated and visual outcomes were assessed Results:
Most (50.2%) of the patients reported to the hospital after a day of
sustaining an ocular injury; workplace injuries, older patients and
farm-related injuries were most likely to report after a day of
sustaining an injury. A significant proportion (40.4%) of patients
reported with good presenting vision (6/6-6/18) which increased to
56.7% after treatment; 45.3% of patients reported with visual
impairment (<6/18) and reduced to 42.4% after treatment. Farming
(AOR = 4.5, p = 0.02), reporting after a day of sustaining injury (AOR
= 78, p< 0.001), workplace injuries (AOR = 3.1, p = 0.007) and
roadside injuries (AOR = 3.1, p = 0.02) were associated with poor
visual outcomes. Initial VA 6/18 or better was the highest predictor of
good visual outcome Conclusion: There is a shift in the pattern of
ocular injury occurrence from work-related to home- related
Near vision spectacle coverage and barriers to near vision correction among adults in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana.
Purpose: To determine the near vision spectacle coverage and barriers
to obtaining near vision correction among adults aged 35 years and
older in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana. Methods: A
population-based cross-sectional study design was adopted and 500 out
of 576 participants aged 35 years and older were examined from 12
randomly selected clusters in Cape Coast, Ghana. All participants
underwent a comprehensive eye examination which included: distance and
near visual acuities measurements and external and internal ocular
health assessments. Distance and near refractions were performed using
subjective refraction technique. Information on participants\u2019
demographics, near vision correction status, near visual needs and
barriers to acquiring near vision correction were obtained through a
questionnaire administered as part of the study. Results: The mean age
of participants was 52.3\ub110.3 years of whom 280 (56%) were females
and 220 (44%) were males. The near vision spectacle coverage was 25%,
33% \u201cmet need\u201d for near vision correction in the presbyopic
population, and 64% unmet need in the entire study population. After
controlling for other variables, age (5th and 6th decades) and
educational level were associated with \u201cmet need\u201d for near
vision correction (OR=2.7 (1.55-4.68), p =0.00, and OR=2.36
(1.18-4.72), p=0.02 respectively). Among those who needed but did not
have near vision correction, 64 (26%) did not feel the need for
correction, 55 (22%) stated that they were unaware of available
interventions, and 53 (21%) found the cost of near vision correction
prohibitive. Conclusion: There was a low near vision spectacle coverage
in this population which suggests the need for strategies on health
education and promotion to address the lack of awareness of spectacle
need and cost of services
Toward eliminating blindness due to uncorrected refractive errors: assessment of refractive services in the northern and central regions of Ghana.
PURPOSE: This study sought to document current refractive services in the northern and central regions of Ghana as a first step toward evidence-based planning of refractive services. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out in health facilities in the northern and central regions of Ghana, which provided eye-care services. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to gather information on each facility type, human resources providing refractive services, assessment of refraction and spectacle dispensing output and provider barriers to the services. RESULTS: Current outputs of refraction in the northern and central regions were 0.5 and 1.2 per cent of the estimated refractive needs, respectively. Spectacle dispensing services were below the outputs of refraction. Lack of equipment (36.8 per cent) and cost of providing spectacles frames (31.6 per cent), were identified as the main barriers to providing refractive services. CONCLUSION: The provision of refractive services in the study regions was inadequate. Lack of infrastructure and inadequate human resource were the major reasons for the limited service provision. This should be considered for planning refractive services in the study regions and Ghana as a whole
Central contrast sensitivity perimetry discriminates between glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous eyes
Background: Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy which causes irreversible vision loss. Standard perimetry, which is essential for glaucoma diagnosis, can only detect glaucomatous visual filed loss when considerable structural damage has occurred. Contrast sensitivity is one of the visual function tests that is reduced in eyes with glaucoma. It is known to be affected in pre-perimetric stages of glaucoma. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the discriminating ability of central contrast sensitivity perimetry in eyes with and without glaucoma. Design: The study employed a cross-sectional study design. Methods: The study participants were made of two groups; eyes diagnosed with glaucoma by an ophthalmologist based on visual field test and optical coherence tomography (OCT) and age- and sex-matched controls who were declared free from glaucoma. Static contrast sensitivity (CS) was measured in the central 10° of visual field using a custom psychophysical test. Results: There were 45 eyes with glaucoma and 45 age- and sex-matched controls in this study. The static CS in the glaucoma group was significantly reduced in 9 out of the 13 tested locations in the central 10° of the visual field. The mean static CS at 5°, 10°, superior hemifield and inferior hemifield were all significantly reduced in the glaucoma patients compared to the controls. Conclusion: Static CS measurement is a sensitive approach that can be utilized to aid in the detection of glaucoma. The use of static CS can be adopted in the development of a cost-effective yet sensitive screening tool for the detection of glaucoma