Abstract
BackgroundAlthough a leading cause of visual impairment and a treatable cause of blindness globally, the pattern of refractive errors in many populations is unknown. This study determined the pattern of refractive ocular conditions, reasons for spectacles renewal and the effect of correction on refractive errors in a resource-limited community.MethodsA retrospective review of case records of 1,413 consecutive patients seen in a private optometry practice, Nigeria between January 2006 and July 2007.ResultsA total number of 1,216 (86.1%) patients comprising of (486, 40%) males and (730, 60%) females with a mean age of 41.02 years SD 14.19 were analyzed. The age distribution peaked at peri-adolescent and the middle age years. The main ocular complaints were spectacles loss and discomfort (412, 33.9%), blurred near vision (399, 32.8%) and asthenopia (255, 20.9%). The mean duration of ocular symptoms before consultation was 2.05 years SD 1.92. The most common refractive errors include presbyopia (431, 35.3%), hyperopic astigmatism (240, 19.7%) and presbyopia with hyperopia (276, 22.7%). Only (59, 4.9%) had myopia. Following correction, there were reductions in magnitudes of the blind (VA<3/60) and visually impaired (VA<6/18-3/60) patients by (18, 58.1%) and (89, 81.7%) respectively. The main reasons for renewal of spectacles were broken lenses/frame/scratched lenses/lenses' falling off (47, 63.4%).ConclusionsAdequate correction of refractive errors reduces visual impairment and avoidable blindness and to achieve optimal control of refractive errors in the community, services should be targeted at individuals in the peri-adolescent and the middle age years.
Highlights
A leading cause of visual impairment and a treatable cause of blindness globally, the pattern of refractive errors in many populations is unknown
Patients demographic characteristics A total number of 1,216 out of 1,413 patients (86.1%) who were seen at the Folnex Optometry Practice, Nigeria, within the study period were included in the analysis
The age distribution of these patients that sought optometry care peaked at peri-adolescent and the middle age years (Figure 1)
Summary
A leading cause of visual impairment and a treatable cause of blindness globally, the pattern of refractive errors in many populations is unknown. Regardless of its contribution to visual impairment and treatable blindness globally, the pattern of refractive error in many populations is unknown more especially in resource-limited community such as Nigeria. A number of earlier hospital-based studies [8,9,10] elsewhere in Nigeria confirmed refractive errors as common in Nigeria. These studies were concerned with pattern of refractive errors. In one of such studies involving 1,824 patients, myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism were found in 39.2%, 23.33%, and 21.80% eyes respectively. The presbyopic error was diagnosed in 1,640 eyes [8]
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