Abstract
The type and frequency of diseases in a com-munity represents genetic structure, nutritional status, social health standards, and the cultural traditions of the community. In addition, the different types of disorders that are common in an area are directly or indirectly under environ-mental effects. The epidemiological information of these disorders is important when developing health services programs and influences the way medical services are offered.The aim of the present study was to determine the epidemiology and frequency of ocular diseas-es in patients referred to the Ophthalmic Clinic of Shahid Rahnemoon Hospital, Yazd, Iran. A cross sectional descriptive study was done by means of a questionnaire and statistical analysis on the data collected. A total number of 994 patients were surveyed and more than 70 types of disorders were diagnosed. The disorders were classified into 15 main groups. The most commonly detect-ed conditions in the patients were refractive errors and conjunctival diseases (16.9% each), followed by disorders of the lens (12.7%), retinal diseases (11.9%), eye traumas (11.9%), eyelid disorders (7.3%) and glaucoma (5.2%). The majority of the patients were more than 40 years old. Regarding their education, most of them were illiterate. Most of the patients were housewives. Our results showed that the majority of the patients were liv-ing in urban areas. An association of diabetes and hypertension was seen more with retinal disease than with other conditions.
Highlights
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and thereafter the application of such information to the control of health problems[1]
Frequent studies have been done in other countries to evaluate the prevalence of common eye diseases, limited studies have been done in Iran for this purpose
Ozone layer changes, increased ultraviolet irradiation, nutritional habits, occupational accidents and interracial mixtures are among the factors that can change the epidemiology of diseases
Summary
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and thereafter the application of such information to the control of health problems[1]. Because of the importance of epidemiological data, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed centers to gather reliable data in sixty countries. In ophthalmology, these data are used for planning reliable programs for prevention of blindness[2]. These data are used for planning reliable programs for prevention of blindness[2] In establishing these programs, early detection of high-risk patients and understanding the prevalence of diseases is a necessity. We decided to study common ophthalmic problems in this area to determine the relevant educational, therapeutic and health demands
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