Case Series: Avoidable Blindness after Inappropriate Ophthalmic Self-medication in Ghana.

Abstract

Inappropriate ophthalmic self-medication continues to plague Sub-Saharan Africa because of lack of public health education and inaccessibility to eye care services. This case series describes three cases of blindness (two monocular, one binocular) in Ghana, because of self-treatment of ocular conditions using improper drugs or homemade herbal mixtures. The article highlights the consequences of misinterpretation of symptoms and use of traditional home remedies, leading to delayed professional eye care and avoidable blindness. This case series aims to report three separate cases of avoidable blindness after inappropriate ophthalmic self-medication to draw attention to the need for intense public health education in Ghana. Three men aged 25, 79, and 35 years, respectively, reported severe reduction in visual acuity in one eye for two cases and both eyes for one case. All patients reported ophthalmic self-medication either with an inappropriate drug bought from the drug store or a homemade herbal mixture made from leaves assumed to treat eye infections. Professional care did not yield any improvement in visual acuity because their corneas were already decompensated at the onset of management. The eye of one patient had to be enucleated. These cases highlight the importance of eye health promotion and education. It is recommended that intense sensitization is carried out at all levels.