Distribution of Eye Diseases in Kasungu District, Malawi, Central Africa—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Richard Kang,Eun Jung Im,George Talama,Seunghan Baek,Jae Jun Kim,Paul Chung,Jung Sung Kim,Gyuri Hwang

doi:10.4236/aid.2018.82008

Abstract

Analysis of eye diseases of patients at Kasungu District Hospital in Malawi was made. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world and the health system faces a lot challenges in terms of resources. The study was, therefore, done to understand the burden and distribution of eye diseases in this resource-limited setting. A retrospective study was conducted by extracting data from data registers in the outpatient eye department for the period of May 2015 to June 2016. The data of the reported eye diseases analyzed with variables such as patient gender, eye disease type, patient age and times of the year. There was no association between eye diseases and gender nor with times of the year. However, it was noted that the commonest type of eye disease was conjunctivitis. And, there was strong association of some disease type with age, for example, conjunctivitis was common in young age group while cataract was common in the elderly. It was shown in this study that many of the eye diseases endemic in Africa do generally occur in this selected district as well. However, the analysis presents the possibility of reducing the incidences of many diseases by preventive measures and access to health facilities on time.

Highlights

Eye diseases affect everyone in the world, what usually differs is disease pattern depending on age, gender, religion and climatic conditions
Some studies done in Nigeria and Sudan hospitals showed that cataract was the most common eye disease seconded by conjunctivitis [4] [5] while conjunctivitis was the most common eye disease seconded by cataract at one of the hospitals in Ghana [6]
In a study conducted in Palestine, refractive errors were the commonest eye disease seconded by conjunctivitis [7]

Summary

Introduction

Eye diseases affect everyone in the world, what usually differs is disease pattern depending on age, gender, religion and climatic conditions. The distribution of eye diseases and causes of blindness in developing and developed nations often differ [1]. Many of the eye diseases that cause blindness are potentially preventable and curable. Many studies have been conducted on pattern of eye diseases in developed countries. Scanty data exists on the extent or burden of eye diseases in developing countries, especially on non-vision impairing diseases, despite contributing majority of the consultations in eye clinics [2] [3]. The common ocular diseases worldwide are cataract, glaucoma, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, uveitis, refractive errors, and pterygium. In a study conducted in Palestine, refractive errors were the commonest eye disease seconded by conjunctivitis [7]

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