Prevalence Of Blindness Research Articles

Prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity in a urban based tertiary hospital in central India

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an important cause of preventable blindness in children. It is a serious and underestimated complication of prematurity treatment among preterm and low-birth weight babies and is preventable cause of blindness unless recognized and treated early. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ROP in preterm infants and low-birth weight in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a tertiary hospital and to increase the awareness of early screening of ROP among parents and doctors. Materials and Methods: A ROP prospective screening survey was performed enrolling all prematures and low-birth-weight Neonates delivered at Index Medical College Hospital & Research Centre from July 2018 to June 2021, with a gestational age of 37 weeks or less at birth and a birth weight of 1700 g or less. One Hundred and Eighty Six(186) preterm infants (i.e.372 eyes) were included for ROP screening .Out of these 186 preterm infants (372eyes), Forty eight (48)preterm infants (i.e.96 eyes) developed Retinopathy of Prematurity. Descriptive statistics included the mean and standard deviation for numerical variables, and the percentage of different categories for categorical variables.

Prevalence and pattern of refractive error in a tertiary health facility in southwest Nigeria

Background: Globally, uncorrected refractive error (RE) is a major cause of blindness, visual impairment (VI), and low vision.
 Aim: To determine the prevalence, pattern, and level of visual impairment among clinic patients with refractive error in a tertiary health facility.
 Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted on patients who presented at a tertiary health facility in Ogun State, Nigeria. The biodata of the patients, level of education, occupation, the symptoms, and signs including the visual acuity (at presentation and after correction), and diagnosis were considered. Lenses that gave the patient the best vision were recorded as the type and magnitude of refractive error for that individual.
 Results: The prevalence of RE was 10.6%. Children and adolescents comprised 23.3% of the cases of refractive error while traders comprised 17.1%. Those who did not have formal education were 3.7%. Blurring of vision for near was the most common presenting symptom. Normal visual acuity (6/6) and better was 33.4% at entry and 77.4% with correction. Myopia was observed to be the most common type of RE in children and adolescents. The prevalence of VI and blindness was 6.7%.
 Conclusion: RE is a major cause of blindness and VI, with the prevalence of myopia higher in age group thirty years and below: lack of formal education may be a barrier for uptake of refractive error services in population with low literacy level.

Colocating Teleophthalmology Within Primary Care Settings to Improve Access to Diabetic Retinopathy Screening: Retrospective Descriptive Evaluation.

Annual retinal exams for patients with diabetes are critical as diabetic retinopathy is the number one cause of preventable blindness in working-age adults in the United States. Currently, most patients with diabetes in the United States receive a referral from their primary care provider to see an ophthalmologist for their annual dilated eye exam, which can be an added inconvenience and expense. As such, there is a need for alternative screening strategies within an outpatient network. The use of a telemedicine platform in a primary care setting serves as a novel strategy to increase diabetic retinopathy screening rates. In order to provide better access to diabetic retinopathy screening for our patients, cameras were placed in 3 primary care practices in October 2017 as part of an 8-month pilot program. Specialized cameras from Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS) were used to acquire images that could be interpreted remotely by ophthalmologists within the LifeBridge Health network for the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy and the detection of other types of pathology (eg, macular edema). The aim of this retrospective descriptive study was to examine whether a telemedicine platform can be used as a cost-effective way to increase diabetic retinopathy screening rates in the primary care setting. Aggregate screening volume and diagnostic data were collected for each of the 3 practice locations for the 8-month pilot period (October 30, 2017, through June 30, 2018). Additionally, payor reimbursement data and equipment cost data were used to determine the payback period for each of the 3 practice locations. The pilot program proved the business case that implementation of the IRIS camera in 3 practice locations could result in enough patients being screened to pay for the cost of the camera within a maximum of 2 years. The 3 practices showed increased diabetic retinopathy screening rates of 1%, 6%, and 24%, respectively, and were all able to screen enough patients to be on track to pay off the cost of the camera within 2 years of implementation. Aggregate data from the pilot period showed that of the 1213 patients who were screened, approximately 17.1% (n=207) were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy and an additional 17.7% (n=215) were suspected of having some other form of pathology. Of note, 10.1% (n=123) were also identified as being "IRIS saves," defined as having pathology identified that was severe enough to be considered an imminent threat to their vision. This retrospective descriptive study suggests that a telemedicine platform can be used to improve diabetic retinopathy screening rates in the primary care setting within a large health care system in a cost-effective way that allows for the cost of the equipment to be recouped through billing within a maximum of 2 years.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Health-seeking Behaviours of Health Professionals Undergoing Postgraduate Studies at a North-east University of the United King dom, towards Blindness Prevention from Glaucoma

Knowledge, Attitude, and Health-seeking Behaviours of Health Professionals Undergoing Postgraduate Studies at a North-east University of the United King dom, towards Blindness Prevention from Glaucoma

Validation of KASP-SNP markers in cassava germplasm for marker-assisted selection of increased carotenoid content and dry matter content.

Provitamin A biofortification and increased dry matter content are important breeding targets in cassava improvement programs worldwide. Biofortified varieties contribute to the alleviation of provitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of preventable blindness common among pre-school children and pregnant women in developing countries particularly Africa. Dry matter content is a major component of dry yield and thus underlies overall variety performance and acceptability by growers, processors, and consumers. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers linked to these traits have recently been discovered through several genome-wide association studies but have not been deployed for routine marker-assisted selection (MAS). This is due to the lack of useful information on markers’ performances in diverse genetic backgrounds. To overcome this bottleneck, technical and biological validation of the loci associated with increased carotenoid content and dry matter content were carried out using populations independent of the marker discovery population. In the present study, seven previously identified markers for these traits were converted to a robust set of uniplex allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and validated in two independent pre-breeding and breeding populations. These assays were efficient in discriminating marker genotypic classes and had an average call rate greater than 98%. A high correlation was observed between the predicted and observed carotenoid content as inferred by root yellowness intensity in the breeding (r = 0.92) and pre-breeding (r = 0.95) populations. On the other hand, dry matter content-markers had moderately low predictive accuracy in both populations (r< 0.40) due to the more quantitative nature of the trait. This work confirmed the markers’ effectiveness in multiple backgrounds, therefore, further strengthening their value in cassava biofortification to ensure nutritional security as well as dry matter content productivity. Our study provides a framework to guide future marker validation, thus leading to the more routine use of markers in MAS in cassava improvement programs.

Geospatial analysis of blindness within rural and urban counties.

PurposeTo determine the associations of blindness within rural and urban counties using a registry of blind persons and geospatial analytics.MethodsWe used the Oregon Commission for the Blind registry to determine the number of persons who are legally blind, as well as licensure data to determine the density of eye care providers (optometrists and ophthalmologists) within each county of the State of Oregon. We used geospatial statistics, analysis of variance, and logistic regression to determine the explanatory variables associated with blindness within counties.ResultsWe included 8350 individuals who are legally blind within the state of Oregon in the calendar year 2015. The mean observed prevalence of registered blindness was 0.21% and ranged almost 9-fold from 0.04% to 0.58% among counties (p < .001). In univariate models, higher blindness was associated with increasing median age (p = .027), minority race (p < .001), decreased median household income (p < .001), increased poverty within a county (p < .001), and higher density of ophthalmologists (p = .003). Density of optometrists was not associated with prevalence of blindness (p = .89). The final multivariable model showed higher blindness to be associated with lower median household income, higher proportion of black race, and lower proportion of Hispanic race (p < .001 for all).ConclusionGeospatial analytics identified counties with higher and lower than expected proportions of blindness even when adjusted for sociodemographic factors. Clinicians and researchers may use the methods and results of this study to better understand the distribution of individuals with blindness and the associated factors to help design public health interventions.

A Review of Corneal Blindness: Causes and Management.

Corneal blindness refers to a group of eye disorders that change thecorneal transparency, causing corneal scarring and blindness. The leading causes of corneal blindness include infectious causes, i.e., due to bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. The most common predisposing factors are trauma, contact lens usage, or the use of steroid medications. The various other diseases included are trachoma, dry eye disease, keratoconus, ophthalmia neonatorum, and non-infectious uveitis. Various clinical modalities are used for treating corneal blindness, including organ transplantation. Organ donation is cumbersome as various ethical and other factors are involved. Hence the concept of eye banking was introduced to meet the increasing demand for donors of the cornea. The eye bank's role is harvesting, processing, and keeping a record of the cornea being transplanted and donated. Furthermore, various recent advancements have been made for lamellar keratoplasty surgeries, including bioengineered corneas to fulfil the need for the unavailability of donors for the cornea. Various specific health interventions have been implemented to reduce the prevalence of corneal blindness globally. For proper management of corneal blindness, we have three components that are needed to be taken care of: prevention of corneal blindness, appropriate treatment modalities, and providing adequate rehabilitation services to the patients. This review encompasses the main reasons for corneal blindness and the management and treatment modalities available for the patients. The terms cornea, corneal blindness, treatment, management, causes, and complications were used for the review article on PubMed.

Blindness among Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus Presenting to the Outpatient Department of Ophthalmology of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Diabetic retinopathy is a major microvascular complication of diabetes, and may progress to sight-threatening stages causing blindness with a consequent decrease in their quality of life. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of blindness among patients with type II diabetes mellitus attending the Outpatient Department of Ophthalmology of a tertiary care hospital. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with type II diabetes mellitus presenting to the Outpatient Department of Ophthalmology of a tertiary care centre from 2 August 2021 to 30 June 2022 after receiving ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 74/2021). Diabetic patients underwent detailed eye examination including vision, slit lamp biomicroscopy examination, and fundus evaluation with full pupil dilation. Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Among 449 type II diabetic patients, blindness was seen in 17 (3.79%) (2.02-5.56, 95% Confidence Interval) patients. Among them, 1 (5.88%) had severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 3 (17.65%) had proliferative diabetic retinopathy and 8 (47.06%) had severe diabetic macular oedema. The prevalence of blindness among patients with type II diabetes mellitus was less than in other studies conducted in similar settings. Screening and timely management of diabetic retinopathy could reduce the prevalence of blindness due to diabetic retinopathy. blindness; diabetic retinopathy; prevalence.

Commentary: Analysis of motivating factors for eye donation among families of eye donors in South India - A questionnaire-based study.

As of today, prevalence of blindness in India is approximated to be 0.45% among the Indian population, in which corneal blindness constitutes 0.9%.[1] Corneal retrieval through eye banking plays a principal role in tackling this issue. India, being a developing country, has the maximum number of eye banks (238) in the world.[2] The retrieval and utilization rates need furtherance compared to developed nations. There is a fourfold need in procurement of corneas to curb cornea-related blindness in India. Shortage of tissues can be resolved by improving awareness and conversion of pledging to donation among our population. In this study,[3] the author has addressed the main motivating factors responsible for eye donation in southern India. A telephonic questionnaire containing 15 questions was taken as the key assessing tool. Most of the questions were directed towards factors inducing donation. Even though the awareness quotient was better in southern India, the willingness to donate was approximately 60%.[4] Another important aspect to take note was that the pledging rates had little correlation to donation as the first-degree relatives of the donor are the primary deciders for donation at retrieval. Previous donation in the family and the effect of grief counselors had better retrieval rates compared to normal. The importance of grief counselors as catalysts[3] in the society has been well elucidated to curb the latter issues, and they are clearly superior compared to other means of promoting eye donation. The obtainment of corneas through hospital corneal retrieval program (HCRP) were less, when comparing the Indian scenario to this study.[5] Maintaining a good contact and providing transport with the chain of hospitals around the vicinity of the eye bank ensures betterment in the HCRP. The HRCP plays a vital role to the eye bank, as it ensures better retrieval and the quality of tissues obtained. It is well known that tissue utilization rates are better in HCRP corneas compared to voluntary donation.[6] An increased rate of voluntary donation may be due to the demography, where this study was conducted. To conclude, even though motivating factors have been pinned down, other factors regarding storage, collection, and tissue utilization (50.5%)[2] are vital for the amelioration of eye banking practices, and the awareness programs should be focused toward the target population.

The economic and social costs of visual impairment and blindness in India.

To provide a current estimate of the economic and social costs (or welfare costs) of visual impairment and blindness in India. Using evidence from the recently conducted Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey across India, the Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health and other sources, we developed an economic model that estimates the costs of reduced employment, elevated mortality risk, education loss for children, productivity loss in employment, welfare loss for the unemployed, and caregiver costs associated with moderate and severe visual impairment (MSVI) and blindness. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were also conducted by varying key parameters simultaneously. The costs of MSVI and blindness in India in 2019 are estimated at INR 1,158 billion (range: INR 947-1,427 billion) or $54.4 billion at purchasing power parity exchange rates (range: $44.5-67.0 billion), accounting for all six cost streams. The largest cost was for the loss of employment, whereas the the second largest cost was for caregiver time. A more conservative estimate focusing only on employment loss and elevated mortality risk yielded a cost of INR 504 billion (range: INR 348-621 billion) or $23.7 billion (range: $16.3-29.2 billion). Poor eye health imposes a non-trivial recurring cost to the Indian economy equivalent to 0.47% to 0.70% of GDP in the primary scenario, a substantial constraint on the country's growth aspirations. Furthermore, the absolute costs of poor eye health will increase over time as India ages and becomes wealthier unless further progress is made in reducing the prevalence of MSVI and blindness.

Prevalence and awareness levels of color blindness among students of faculty of dentistry and dental prosthesis technology program.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and awareness levels of color blindness among students in a faculty of dentistry and dental prosthesis technology program in two different universities. A survey of awareness of color blindness among 710 students (males: n=271; females: n=439) in the faculty of dentistry and dental prosthesis technology program of Gazi University and Ankara Medipol University in 2019-2021 was conducted. The color vision status of 442 of the students (males; n=155; females: n=287) was assessed using an online Ishihara color blindness test. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS. There was no statistically significant difference in the color blindness scores in terms of sex (males: 0.75±0.84; females: 0.64±0.75) (p=0.226). The color blindness scores of the dental prosthesis technology students were statistically higher than those of the faculty of dentistry students (p=0.028). Education year was significantly associated with a compromised ability to identify colors properly (p=0.040). There was no statistically significant difference in terms of awareness levels of color blindness according to the number of years of education (p>0.005). In terms of the prevalence of color blindness, 2.2% of faculty of dentistry and dental prosthesis technology students had a moderate-to-high level of color blindness. Students' awareness of their own color vision status was very low. The educational content of faculty of dentistry and dental prosthesis technology programs on color blindness should be enriched.

Risk factors for late presentation among glaucoma patients attending three referral hospitals in South-East Nigeria: case–control study

Late presentation in glaucoma has been associated with rapid deterioration of visual fields and blindness even with good and effective treatment options. Glaucoma prevalence and risk of blindness is higher among the Igbo tribe, who dominate the Eastern part of Nigeria, hence the focus of this study in this area to determine modifiable risks for late presentation in glaucoma. This was an observational, hospital-based, comparative study at three tertiary hospitals. All eligible, consenting participants were examined and researcher-recorded questionnaire administered. Data was entered, validated and imported into Stata version 15.0; appropriate descriptive measures of central tendencies were presented with tables and maps. Univariate, multiple logistic regression and pairwise correlation analysis identified statistically significant risks at p-value of <0.05. 303 participants were enrolled with a mean (SD) age of 56.58 (15.63) years. The adjusted odds of presenting late were found to be 57% lower among females (CI 0.27 to 0.69), 1.73 times higher with each year increase (CI 1.42 to 2.11) and 2.31 times among hypertensives (CI 1.39 to 3.85). There were reduced adjusted odds ratio; 0.55 for participants living in urban areas compared to rural (p 0.02) and 0.52 for those who have heard about glaucoma prior to diagnosis (p 0.01). Increasing age, male sex, rural and non-awareness of glaucoma are identified risk for late presentation. Community-based health promotion activities can be explored to bridge this gap through targeted and cost-effective approaches involving existing health-care delivery systems.

Tag-Dependent Substrate Selection of ClpX Underlies Secondary Differentiation of Chlamydia trachomatis.

ABSTRACTDespite having a highly reduced genome, Chlamydia trachomatis undergoes a complex developmental cycle in which the bacteria differentiate between the following two functionally and morphologically distinct forms: the infectious, nonreplicative elementary body (EB) and the noninfectious, replicative reticulate body (RB). The transitions between EBs and RBs are not mediated by division events that redistribute intracellular proteins. Rather, both primary (EB to RB) and secondary (RB to EB) differentiation likely require bulk protein turnover. One system for targeted protein degradation is the trans-translation system for ribosomal rescue, where polypeptides stalled during translation are marked with an SsrA tag encoded by a hybrid tRNA-mRNA, tmRNA. ClpX recognizes the SsrA tag, leading to ClpXP-mediated degradation. We hypothesize that ClpX functions in chlamydial differentiation through targeted protein degradation. We found that mutation of a key residue (R230A) within the specific motif in ClpX associated with the recognition of SsrA-tagged substrates resulted in abrogated secondary differentiation while not reducing chlamydial replication or developmental cycle progression as measured by transcripts. Furthermore, inhibition of trans-translation through chemical and targeted genetic approaches also impeded chlamydial development. Knockdown of tmRNA and subsequent complementation with an allele mutated in the SsrA tag closely phenocopied the overexpression of ClpXR230A, thus suggesting that ClpX recognition of SsrA-tagged substrates plays a critical function in secondary differentiation. Taken together, these data provide mechanistic insight into the requirements for transitions between chlamydial developmental forms.

The range of clinical manifestations of congenital glaucoma found in people seeking consultation at the Helmholtz National Medical Research Center of Eye Diseases

Purpose: to analyze clinical and functional manifestations and the course of different stages of primary congenital glaucoma (CG) at different times of the disease onset, using the data of admissions to the Department of Eye Pathology in Children of the Helmholtz Research Center of Eye Diseases.Material and methods. 191 patients (320 eyes) with CG, of which 113 were children (191) eyes with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) aged 1 month to 16 years, underwent standard ophthalmological examination (autorefractometry, visometry, biomicroscopy, ophthalmoscopy), electrophysiological examination (flash VEP, ganzfeld and flicker ERG) and echobiometry (axial eye length measurement).Results. A detailed clinical and functional characteristic of PCG, including structural and functional changes occurring at different stages. Most children with PСG showed advanced stages of the glaucomatous process: in cases where PСG was detected by 1 month of life, the advanced stages claimed 71.1 %, whilst the children diagnosed with PCG between 1 and 12 months of age, the advanced stages were found in 91.2 %. clinical manifestations were found to have variability, not always corresponding to the stages of the disease. In particular, we detected a correlation between disease progression and decreased VEP amplitude (p &lt; 0.05), while no such correlation was found with respet to ERG parameters and VEP latency.Conclusion. Despite the fact that PCG is detected comparative early, the destructive glaucomatous eye damage leads to severe and often irreversible consequences. The timing of CG manifestation is determined by the degree of congenital abnormalities in the eye drainage system that, together with secondary structural changes of eyes (cornea, axial length, retina and ONH) entail a more severe prognosis of PCG in case of an early disease onset. New objective criteria are needed to assess the severity and prognosis of PCG, which is important for the preservation of visual functions, prevention of low vision and blindness.

A DIFFERENCE IN INCIDENCE OF VISUAL THREATENING DIABETIC RETINOPATHY BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT IMPAIRED SLEEP QUALITY

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common and major complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), and is the leading cause of preventable blindness in adults of productive age after cataracts. The global prevalence of DR is 34.6% , consisting of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (7.0%), diabetic macular edema (6.8%), and visual threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) (10.2%.) The risk factors for VTDR are age, duration of diabetes, glycemic control, hypertension, obesity, HbAIC levels, and dyslipidemia. In addition, impaired sleep quality is also indicated to be connected with the incidence of VTDR.&#x0D; Objective: To compare the incidence of VTDR between patients with and without impaired sleep quality.&#x0D; Methods: This was a cross-sectional comparative analytic observational study involving 178 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with DR at the National Eye Center of Cicendo Eye Hospital who met the inclusion criteria. Subject characteristic data were taken from medical records and sleep quality data were collected through a structured interview using the Indonesian version of the Shorten Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire. Subjects were distributed into poor and good sleep quality groups. The presence of VTDR was then assessed. The differences were then analyzed statistically using chi-square test with a p value of 0.05 considered statistically significant.Results: Results showed that 66.2% and 71.1% of patients in the poor and good quality sleep group suffered from VTDR, respectively (p&gt; 0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion: There is no difference in VTDR incidence between patients in productive age with type 2 DM between those with and without impaired sleep quality.&#x0D;

High Prevalence of Glaucoma among Patients in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area (Mahenge, Tanzania).

Onchocerciasis is known to cause skin lesions and blindness, but there is also epidemiological evidence that onchocerciasis is associated with epilepsy, including nodding syndrome. We carried out ocular exams in persons with epilepsy in Mahenge, an onchocerciasis endemic area with a high prevalence of epilepsy in Tanzania. We recruited 278 consecutive persons with epilepsy attending the epilepsy clinic at Mahenge hospital and satellite clinics in rural villages. They underwent a general physical and a detailed ocular examination and were tested for onchocerciasis Ov16 IgG4 antibodies. Glaucoma was defined by a raised intraocular pressure above 21 mmHg with evidence of typical glaucomatous disc changes in one or both eyes. Among the 278 participants, median age 27 (IQR 21–38) years, 55.4% were female; 151/210 (71.9%) (95% CI: 65.3–77.9) were Ov16 positive. The most frequent ophthalmic lesions were glaucoma (33.1%), vitreous opacities (6.5%) and cataracts (2.9%). In multivariate analysis, glaucoma (adjusted IRR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.24–1.70) and age (adjusted IRR = 1.01; 95% CI: 1.01–1.02) were significantly associated with onchocerciasis. In conclusion, a high prevalence of glaucoma was observed among Ov16 positive persons with epilepsy. Persons with epilepsy with O. volvulus infection should undergo screening for glaucoma to prevent one of the causes of preventable blindness.

Preoperative Visual Impairment in Vestibular Schwannoma Patients: An Overlooked Entity of Developing World.

Objective Visual impairment in vestibular schwannomas is an underreported entity. The plethora of literature focuses primarily on facial and hearing preservation. This study aims to describe our experience and find the possible reasons for visual impairment. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective observational study. We evaluated 114 patients with vestibular schwannoma, operated during 2015 to 2020. Eight parameters were studied-age, gender, maximum tumor size, hydrocephalus, economic status, duration of symptoms, visual loss, and ease of access to the tertiary neurosurgical facility. JASP software (version 0.14.1, Amsterdam) was used for statistical analysis. Results A total of 42/114 (36.84%) patients had a varying degree of impairment. Patients with impaired vision had significantly larger tumors (4.31 vs. 4.12 cm, p = 0.02), longer duration of symptoms (19.14 vs. 16.45 months, p = 0.02), hydrocephalus ( p = 0.03), and were from remote areas ( p = 0.009). In stepwise logistic regression analysis, longer duration of symptoms and difficult access to neurosurgical facility stand out as decisive factors for visual impairment. The follow-up data were available for 35/42 (83.33%) cases of visual impairment. Vision improved in 14/35 (40%) of cases. Vision improved in a significantly higher number of patients when a preoperative ventriculoperitoneal shunt was placed ( p = 0.03). Conclusion The visual handicap occurs in a significant number of patients with vestibular schwannoma. Delayed arrival at the neurosurgical facility due to difficult access appears to be the primary factor leading to blindness. Strengthening our healthcare systems in rural areas would go a long way in the timely detection and prevention of blindness in such cases.

Prevalence, Cause, and Associated Factors of Visual Impairment Among Diabetic Patients at the Debre Tabor General Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Introduction: Visual impairment is a major public health challenge for diabetics who have ocular comorbidities. In Ethiopia, data are lacking on the prevalence of visual impairment among diabetics as well as information on causes and predisposing factors. The current study was designed to assess the causes, risk factors, and levels of diabetes-related visual impairment within an Ethiopian population. Methods: The study enrolled a total of 296 diabetic patients at the Debre Tabor General Hospital (DTGH). Data were ascertained through face-to-face interview, from patients’ medical folder, and through comprehensive ocular health assessment. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed. Result: Generally, the prevalence of visual impairment among adult diabetic patients was 39.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 33.8–45.6). Visual impairment was primarily due to diabetic retinopathy (44.4%), followed by refractive error (20.6%), cataract (13.9%), other ocular conditions (6.1%), and glaucoma (5.4%). Age &gt;45 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 7.8, 95% CI: 3.5–18), female gender (AOR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.4–7.7), low educational status (AOR = 8.1, 95% CI: 2.4–26.0), and longer span of diabetes (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI: 2.1–6.8) had a notable association with visual impairment among diabetic patients. Discussion: This study observed a high prevalence of visual impairment in diabetic patients. Diabetic retinopathy, refractive error, and cataract were the most common causes of visual impairment, followed by other ocular conditions and glaucoma. Older age, female gender, low educational status, and longer span of diabetes were important risk factors of visual impairment among diabetic patients. Implications for Practitioners: This result could alert health care professionals to inform their diabetic clients about the serious impacts of diabetes and the need for a regular eye check-up. Health care providers and policy makers should work to integrate the diabetic clinics into a general hospital with an eye care unit for an effective screening of diabetic eye disease and prevention of blindness.

The epidemiology of eye injuries in Western Australia: a retrospective 10-year study

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance Eye injuries constitute a significant cause of preventable lifelong visual impairment or blindness. It is important to identify the context in which these injuries occur to develop intervention programs to reduce the incidence and severity of injury. Background To evaluate the nature, external cause, place of occurrence and incidence rate of eye injuries treated at hospitals in Western Australia. Methods Retrospective, population-based study of patients presenting to all emergency departments or admitted to hospital with primary or secondary eye injuries between 2005 and 2014. Results The combined incidence rate of eye injuries requiring tertiary care was 278 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 276–280). Significantly more males (79%, 44 569) presented to emergency departments (p < 0.001), and most injuries involved the cornea and conjunctiva (83%). The injury incidence rate was 248 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 246–250). A total of 2823 and 3951 individuals were admitted to hospital for a primary or secondary eye injury, respectively. The most frequent primary diagnosis on admission was contusion (19%). Assault (24%) was the most common cause of injury requiring inpatient treatment. Indigenous individuals were hospitalised for an eye injury at a rate of 109 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 102–116), compared to 27 (95% CI 26–27) for non-Indigenous individuals. Each year was associated with an increase in the mean number of eye injuries (7% and 5% for emergency department and hospital admission data, respectively). Conclusion Indigenous individuals and males experience eye injuries requiring tertiary management disproportionately. Indigenous female patients were conspicuously affected by eye injuries. Remedial intervention strategies should incorporate violence prevention as assault is a significant cause of eye injury.

Telemedicine in retinopathy of prematurity: Crossing borders in pediatric vision health. TELEROP study

General objectiveTo evaluate the accuracy and validity of images with smartphone compared to the RetCam® system for the diagnosis of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). MethodologyObservational, longitudinal and masked study carried out at the Dr. Elías Santana hospital. Infants with birth weight ≤1500 g, gestational age ≤30 weeks and/or patients exposed to risk factors or complications linked to ROP were included. These subjects were screened using images with smartphone or RetCam®, both compared to conventional fundoscopy. The ICROP classification was used for staging. The main results analyzed were sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and kappa index. Results915 images (n = 121) were obtained, distributed in smartphone group (50.4%) and RetCam® group (49.6%) between August 2020 and March 2021. Subjects with ROP had lower gestational age (30.2 sem ± 2.8), birth weight (1361 g ± 398), and greater exposure to oxygen therapy (12.8 days ± 11.3). The RetCam® group presented sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 78%, positive predictive value = 90% and kappa index = 0.70. The smartphone group presented sensitivity = 88%, specificity = 90%, positive predictive value = 93.75% and kappa index = 0.81. ConclusionsBoth diagnostic methods were accurate to identify ROP. The smartphone group obtained superior results with excellent resolution, representing a cost-effective method to create a global impact on reducing preventable blindness in the pediatric population.