Ophthamological Conditions Among Elderly Patients Attending a Private Eye Care Facility in Malawi.

Résumé

Abstract Background: The elderly comprises the fastest-expanding age group globally, with the greatest increase occurring in developing countries. The elderly populace is prone to develop various ocular morbidities. Purpose: To determine the distribution of ocular morbidities among the elderly population visiting a private eye care facility in Malawi. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at St John’s Hospital in Mzuzu, Malawi. We retrieved data from the hospital’s ophthalmic outpatient registry from January to December 2021. A non-probability census sampling technique was used to recruit 52 elderly patients. Data analysis were done employing SPSS (v.26) Results: Less males 25 (48.1%) than females 27 (51.9%) had ocular morbidities. Refractive error 21 (40.4%) was the most prevalent ocular morbidity followed by cataract 13 (25.0%), pinguecula 6 (11.5%), and glaucoma 4 (7.7%). No sex and age association were found with any of the ocular morbidities (p>0.05). Conclusion: The pattern of eye diseases is endemic to the country. More resources should be targeting main causes of preventable blindness including refractive error and cataracts.

Citer ce document

Accès au document

Texte intégral en lecture en ligne, réservé aux abonnés SPHAERO et aux membres de l'institution. Se connecter

Auteur(s)

Statistiques

Consultations : 1

Téléchargements : 0