Establishing the Profile of Eye Diseases Among Elderly Patients Attending a Tertiary Hospital in Northern, Malawi.

Abstract

Background: Globally, there has been a dramatic increase in the geriatric population. Sadly, this populace is highly prone to develop various ocular morbidities. Aim: To determine the distribution of ocular morbidities among elderly. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Mzuzu Central Hospital in Malawi. We retrieved data from the hospital’s ophthalmology out-patient registry from January 2021 to December 2021. A non-probability census sampling technique was used to recruit 970 elderly patients. Data entry and analysis was done employing SPSS (v.26) Results: More males than females had ocular morbidities. Cataract 400 (41.2%) was the most prevalent ocular morbidity followed by glaucoma 189 (19.5%), pinguecula 48 (4.9%) and allergic conjunctivitis 43 (4.4%). Majority of patients were attended to in July. Outer segment diseases were common. The prevalence of cataract, glaucoma, refractive error and allergic conjunctivitis was significantly associated with sex (p<0.05). Age association was found with the prevalence of cataract, glaucoma, pinguecula, allergic conjunctivitis and corneal scar (p<0.05). Conclusion: The pattern of eye diseases is endemic to the country. More resources should be targeting cataract and glaucoma among the age group.

Ophthamological Conditions Among Elderly Patients Attending a Private Eye Care Facility in Malawi.

“…The pattern of ocular disease varies from country to country and even in the same country from district to district [11]. Previous studies have assessed the distribution of eye diseases at government hospitals, [8,12,13] however, there is no baseline data on the pattern of ocular morbidity among the Malawian elderly visiting non-government facilities. In Malawi, health services are provided for free at government facilities while private for-pro t and private non-pro t organizations charge fees [14].…”

Ophthalmological conditions among elderly patients attending a private eye care facility in Malawi: A retrospective study

“…10 The pattern of ocular disease varies from country to country and even in the same country from district to district. 11 Previous studies have assessed the distribution of eye diseases at government hospitals, 8,12,13 however, there is no baseline data on the pattern of ocular morbidity among the Malawian elderly visiting nongovernment facilities. In Malawi, health services are provided for free at government facilities while private for-profit and private nonprofit organizations charge fees.…”