Prevalence of Risk Factors of Retinal Diseases among Patients in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Purpose. To explore the prevalence of risk factors of retinal diseases among patients seeking services from Madang Provincial Hospital Eye Clinic in Papua New Guinea. Materials and Methods. A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted at the only eye clinic serving the entire Madang province of Papua New Guinea. Purposive sampling was used to obtain data from patients’ record cards at the eye clinic from January to June 2021. The data collected included gender, age, presenting visual acuity, blood pressure, blood sugar level, body mass index, smoking habits, and history of cataract surgery. The data was analyzed using the International Business Machines Corporation’s Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21. A p -value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. Two hundred and fifty-five (255) patients went through diabetes and hypertension screening during the period of the study (January to June 2021). The mean age of the patients was 53.14 ± 11.20 years and there were more males (56.86%) than females. Nearly half of the patients (43.6%) were either visually impaired or blind. More than half (52.6%) had diabetes mellitus. Majority of the patients (73.3%) were hypertensive and more than half (57.0%) of the patients had unhealthy body mass index (BMI <18.525 kg/m2 or > 25 kg/m2). Overweight was significantly associated with hypertension ( p < 0.001 ) and diabetes mellitus ( p < 0.001 ). A few of them were smokers or had a history of cataract surgery (13.7% and 2.0%, respectively). Conclusion. There is a high prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and overweight among ophthalmic patients in Madang. It is important that measures are put in place to eliminate barriers to health care and to strengthen eye care services in Papua New Guinea.

Epidemiology of eye diseases: outcomes from a free provincial eye clinic in Papua New Guinea

“…The adult patients in this study recorded large numbers of corneal ulcers and keratitis and refractive error as the main ocular problems ( Table 4 ). In Madang and PNG, most of the people conduct their daily activities in an open environment engaging in farming ( 16 , 36 ), trading ( 36 ), welding and carpentry without using protective eyewear. In addition, tribal conflicts and domestic violence are common.…”

“…In Papua New Guinea (PNG), a rapid assessment of avoidable blindness (RAAB) was carried out in 2017 but the study focused mainly on the causes of visual impairment (VI) and blindness (presenting visual acuity <6/12) in the older population (aged 50 years and older) ( 14 ). Contrariwise, studies have indicated that there are potentially blinding conditions that do not present significant ocular or visual symptoms in the initial stages ( 11 , 15 ), and PNG is not immune to such potential causes of visual impairment ( 16 , 17 ). Therefore, the findings of the RAAB are limited in terms of the general presentation of eye disorders in the country.…”

Patients’ Perspective on Barriers to Utilization of a Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service

“…A recent finding indicated that 50% of all ophthalmic patients aged ≥30 years who visited the MPHEC in the first half of 2021 were either pre-diabetic or diabetic [13]; hence, it was paramount that they undergo DR screening. Despite the availability of the free retinal screening service at the facility, the uptake of the service has been very low, at an average of two patients per month for the years 2017 to 2021.…”