Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in Kandahar

Abstract

Background: This study aims to assess the prevalence, primary causes, and associated factors of visual impairment (VI) among individuals aged 40 years and older at Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Methods: The data for this population-based cross-sectional study were collected from 2022 to 2023. The calculated sample size was 301, allocated to urban and rural strata using the probability proportional to size method. Visual impairment (VI) encompasses two components: low vision and blindness. Low vision is defined as visual acuity less than 6/18, while blindness is defined as visual acuity less than 3/60, as measured by the Snellen chart. Results: The study included 301 patients, comprising 145 (48.2%) women and 156 (51.8%) men. The age distribution was as follows: 67 (22.1%) participants were aged 40–50 years, 111 (36.8%) were aged 51–60 years, and 127 (42.1%) were above 60 years. Visual impairment was observed in 159 cases (52.8%) in urban areas and 142 cases (47.2%) in rural areas. The leading causes of visual impairment were cataracts in 144 (47.8%) patients, refractive errors in 68 (22.6%), glaucoma in 37 (12.3%), macular degeneration in 28 (9.3%), and diabetic retinopathy in 24 (8.0%). Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment increases notably after the age of 50, particularly among patients with cataracts, followed by those with refractive errors and glaucoma. In conclusion, this research highlights a higher prevalence of visual impairment in patients with cataracts, refractive errors, and glaucoma.