Prevalence of visual impairment and related factors in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan: a cross sectional study

Prevalence, causes and associated factors of visual impairment and blindness among older population in outreach site, Northwest Ethiopia. A dual center cross-sectional study

Purpose

The study aimed to determine the prevalence, causes, and associated factors of visual impairment and blindness among the older population in Outreach sites, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-outreach-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 821 older population which were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Face-to-face interviews and ocular examinations were performed to collect the data. A binary logistic regression was performed.

Result

A total of 821 participants were recruited for the study with a median age of 57 years, with a range of 40-91 years. Out of 821 participants, 41.8% had visual impairment, and 11.7% were blind. Sixty-four and fifty seven percent of visual impairment and blindness were caused by cataract. Age ≥70years (AOR=15.0; 95%CI: 8.4-26.9), rural residency (AOR=2.3; 95%CI: 1.5-3.6), non-formal education (AOR=3.0; 95%CI: 1.6-5.6), unemployed (AOR=1.5;95%CI:1.05-2.4) and history of eye examination (AOR=1.7;95%CI:1.1-2.8) were positively associated with visual impairment. Similarly, blindness was significantly associated with age ≥ 70years (AOR=7.2; 95%CI: 3.1-16.6), rural residency (AOR=2.2;95%CI:1.2-4.2), and history of eye examination (AOR=1.9; 95%CI: 1.1- 3.3).

Conclusion

the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness in this study was found to be high. Age, residency, educational status, occupational status, and history of eye examination were significantly associated with visual impairment and blindness.

Comparing the accuracy of new intraocular lens power calculation formulae in short eyes after cataract surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Calculating the intraocular lens (IOL) power in short eyes for cataract surgery has been a challenge. A meta-analysis was conducted to identify, among several classic and new IOL power calculation formulae, which obtains the best accuracy.

METHODS

All studies aiming at comparing the accuracy of IOL power calculation formulae in short eyes were searched up in the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane library from Jan. 2011 to Mar. 2021. Primary outcomes were the percentages of eyes with a refractive prediction error in ± 0.25D, ± 0.5D and ± 1.0D.

RESULTS

Totally 1,476 eyes from 14 studies were enrolled in comparison of 13 formulae (Barrett Universal II, Castrop, Haigis, Hoffer Q, Holladay1, Holladay2, Kane, Ladas Super Formula, Okulix, Olsen, Pearl-DGS, SRK/T and T2). Pearl-DGS had the highest percentage within ± 0.25D. In the ± 0.5D range, Pearl-DGS obtained the highest percentage again, and it was significantly higher than Barrett Universal II, Haigis, Hoffer Q, Holladay1, Holladay2 and Olsen (P = 0.001, P = 0.02, P = 0.0003, P = 0.01, P = 0.007, P = 0.05, respectively). In the ± 1.0D range, Okulix possessed the highest percentage, and it was significantly higher than Barrett Universal II, Castrop, Hoffer Q and Holladay2 (P = 0.0005, P = 0.03, P = 0.003, P = 0.02, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The new generation formulae, based on artificial intelligence or ray-tracing principle, are more accurate than the convergence formulae. Pearl-DGS and Okulix are the two most accurate formulae in short eyes.

Rapid assessment of prevalence of blindness and cataract surgery in Kabul province, Afghanistan

Objective

To estimate prevalence and causes of blindness and vision impairment and assess cataract surgical coverage and quality of cataract surgery in Kabul.

Methods and analysis

A total of 3751 adults aged 50 years and above were recruited from 77 randomly selected clusters. Each participant underwent presenting and pinhole visual acuity assessment and lens examination. Those with pinhole visual acuity <6/12 in either eye had a dilated fundus examination to determine the cause of reduced vision. Those with apparent lens opacity were interviewed on barriers to cataract surgery.

Results

The age-adjusted and sex-adjusted prevalence of blindness was 2.4% (95% CI: 1.8% to 3.0%). Prevalence of severe, moderate and mild vision impairment was 2.2% (95% CI: 1.7% to 2.7%), 6.9% (95% CI: 6.0% to 7.9%) and 8.7% (95% CI: 7.5% to 9.8%), respectively. Cataract was the main cause of blindness (36.8%), severe (54.4%) and moderate (46.1%) vision impairment. Uncorrected refractive error was the leading cause of mild vision impairment (20.3%). Age-related macular degeneration was the second leading cause of blindness (23.0%). In people with a presenting visual acuity of <3/60, cataract surgical coverage was 89.7%, and effective cataract surgical coverage was 67.8%. The major barriers to uptake of the available cataract surgical services were the need for surgery was not felt (23.7%) and cost (22.0%).

Conclusion

Kabul province has a high prevalence of blindness, largely due to cataract and age-related macular generation. The quality of cataract surgery is also lagging in terms of good visual outcomes. This calls for immediate efforts to improving the reach and quality of existing eye services and readiness to respond to the increasing burden of posterior eye disease.

Proportion, Causes and Associated Factors of Blindness Among Adult Patients Attending Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center in Ethiopia

PURPOSE

This study aimed to estimate the magnitude of blindness, identify causes and associated factors among adult patients who visited a Tertiary Eye Care Training Center in Gondar, Ethiopia.

METHODS

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was done at University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center. 708 participants (99.02% of invited) were recruited in this study with a systematic random sampling technique. Interviewer administered questioner and physical examination were applied to collect the data. Blindness was defined as the presenting visual acuity less than 3/60 in the better eye according to the World Health Organization criterion for visual acuity. Data was entered with Epi Info 7 and imported into SPSS for coding and analysis. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed to analyze the entered data. Adjusted odds ratio was used to show the strength of the association and variables with a P-value of < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS

The proportion of blindness in this study was 14.3% (95% CI: 11.8-16.8). Low monthly income (AOR: 4.9; 95% CI: 1.4, 17.1), aged ≥ 60-69 (AOA: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.2, 7.6), and aged ≥ 70 years (AOR: 4.8; 95% CI: 1.9, 12.2) were positively associated with blindness. In this study, the leading cause of blindness was cataract (49.5%), followed by glaucoma (18.8%) and Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (9.9%).

CONCLUSION

The proportion of blindness was 14.3%. Cataract, glaucoma and AMD were the common causes of blindness. Low monthly income and older age were significantly increased the risk of blindness.

Frequency of presenting visual acuity and visual impairment in Chinese college students

AIM

To obtain the baseline data on presenting visual acuity (PVA) and evaluate the prevalence and associated factors for visual impairment based on PVA in 9070 Chinese college students.

METHODS

The freshmen at a university in southern China, including 6527 undergraduate students and 2543 graduate students, were investigated for some socio-demographic characteristics and underwent routine medical examination, including measuring PVA, height, and weight. Visual impairment was defined according to the new World Health Organization criteria for blindness and visual impairment.

RESULTS

In 9070 college students, the mean PVA in the better eye was 0.094±0.163 logMAR. The prevalence of visual impairment based on PVA was 2.7%. Only 38.3% college students had normal visual acuity [PVA equal to 0 logMAR (20/20) in both eyes]. There were 69.8% of students wearing spectacles. Logistic regression showed that home region (non-Guangdong provinces, P<0.0001, OR=1.70) was risk factor for visual impairment while BMI (P=0.001, OR=0.92) was protective factor from visual impairment. Ethnicity (Han Chinese, P<0.0001, OR=3.17) was risk factor for wearing spectacles while age (P=0.01, OR=0.90) was protective factor from wearing spectacles.

CONCLUSION

This study provides the baseline data on PVA and the prevalence of visual impairment in Chinese college students. Our analyses reveal that BMI and home region are associated factors for visual impairment based on PVA, while age and ethnicity are associated factors for wearing spectacles.

Proportion and Associated Factors of Low Vision among Adult Patients Attending at University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center, Gondar Town, Ethiopia

Introduction

Low vision is a worldwide health problem in both developing and developed countries. A national survey of low vision and blindness in Ethiopia showed that the prevalence of low vision was 3.7% and that of blindness was 1.6%, whereas there is no evidence in the study area.

Purpose

The study was aimed to assess the proportion and associated factors of low vision at the University of Gondar tertiary eye care and training center.

Methods

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 727 study participants with a systematic random sampling technique from April 18 to May 16, 2019. Data were collected through the use of a structural questionnaire and physical eye examination. Data were entered into Epi Info version 7, and analysis was performed by using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20. The binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with low vision, and variables with a P value of <0.05 in a multivariable binary logistic regression were considered as statistically significant.

Results

A total of 715 study participants have participated in this study with a mean age of 49.39 ± 19.93 years. The prevalence of low vision was 35.7% (95% CI: 32.3, 39.3). Being female (AOR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.10, 2.28), no formal educational level (AOR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.25, 4.02), history of cataract surgery (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.53, 4.36), and age ≥ 70 years (AOR: 3.96; 95% CI: 2.21, 7.10) were significantly associated with low vision. Conclusion and Recommendation. The prevalence of low vision found in this study was high as compared with the national and global magnitude. Older age, being female, previous history of cataract surgery, and no formal education were independently and significantly associated with low vision. Cataract and uncorrected refractive errors were identified as the main causes of low vision. Therefore, it requires a plan to provide an eye care education to the community, increasing the quality of cataract surgery and refractive service for the community in the catchment area.

Prevalence of visual impairment and its association with vision-related quality of life among elderly persons in a resettlement colony of Delhi

Background:

The population of India is ageing. The number and percentage of elderly persons is increasing. Visual impairment is common among elderly persons and affects their vision-related quality of life. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of visual impairment among elderly persons aged 60 years and above residing in a resettlement colony of Delhi and study its association with socio-demographic variables and vision-related quality of life.

Methods:

A total of 604 elderly participants were selected by simple random sampling. House-to-house visit was done, and a self-developed pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect socio-demographic information. Visual acuity was measured using Snellen's chart, and distant direct ophthalmoscopy was done to diagnose cataract. Vision-related quality of life was assessed by Indian Vision Function Questionnaire-33 (IND-VFQ-33).

Results:

Of the 604 participants, 555 (91.9%) were available for interview. The prevalence of visual impairment was 24.5% (95% CI: 20.9% - 28.1%). Cataract was the leading cause of visual impairment (50.7%), followed by uncorrected refractive error (36.8%). Illiteracy (aOR: 3.49, 1.37-8.87), economic dependence on family members (aOR: 1.92, 1.04 – 3.54), not currently working (aOR: 1.89, 1.20-2.98) and chewing of tobacco products (aOR: 2.56, 1.48-4.42) were significantly associated with visual impairment among study participants. Vison-related quality of life was worse among those with visual impairment.

Conclusion:

Burden of visual impairment is high among elderly persons living in urban resettlement colonies. It is largely avoidable. Eye-care services should be accessible and affordable to them.