Is there any change in spectrum of eye disorders over the past 3 years at a screening health facility in South-South Nigeria?

Abstract

Background: The spectrum of ocular morbidities seen at a screening programme may be a reflection of diseases in that community. This knowledge would assist in appropriate public eye health planning for that community. Aim: To determine the present spectrum of eye diseases at the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, and to determine if there is any change in the pattern of ocular morbidity seen at the CDC over the past 3 years. Methods: This was a prevalent study conducted at the CDC of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. The records of participants seen at the CDC from August 2010 to October 2014 were retrieved. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and ocular findings were collected and analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Descriptive analyses were used, and Chi-square test was used to test the association amongst variables. Results: Of the 4653 participants, the analysed sample comprised 4622 (99.3%) participants with complete data. They comprised 1030 males and 3569 females with a mean age of 49 ± 13 standard deviation years (range 9–95 years). Most of the participants (59.9%) were between 40 and 60 years of age. The most common ocular morbidities were refractive error (44.8%), glaucoma (19.4%), cataract (8.1%) and allergic conjunctivitis (4.5%). Conclusions: There has been no change in the pattern of eye disorders over the past 3 years at the CDC of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Refractive error, glaucoma, cataract and allergic conjunctivitis were the leading aetiologies of ocular morbidity amongst screening participants seen at the CDC. There is a need to raise awareness of these eye diseases, increase ocular screening uptake and provide eye care resources to control these prevalent eye disorders.