Refractive errors and associated factors among patients visiting BoruMeda Hospital’s secondary eye Unit in Dessie Town, South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background In Ethiopia, refractive error is the second leading cause of vision impairment and the third main cause of blindness. Because refraction services are scarce and difficult to obtain, many people with refractive error live with impaired vision or blindness for the rest of their lives. Objective The primary goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of refractive errors and associated factors among patients who visited Boru Meda Hospital. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2018, all patients who visited Boru Meda Hospital's secondary eye unit were deemed our source population; the sample frame was the secondary eye unit outpatient departments register. To select samples, simple random sampling was used. Data was entered by using Epi-data version 3 and analysed with Statistical Package for Social Science 20. Tables and graphs were used to display descriptive statistics, and logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. At p < 0.05, statistical significance was inferred. Results Refractive error was detected in 42 (18.3%) of study participants. The average age was 46.69 ± 20.77. There were 136 men and 93 women in this group (59.4 and 40.6%, respectively). Myopia was the most frequent refractive defect, accounting for 52.4% of all cases. Conclusion & recommendation Refractive error is a widespread problem in our study area that affects people of all age groups. We recommend patients to have screening on regular basis so that refractive anomalies can be detected early.

The Magnitude of Refractive Error and Its Associated Factors Among Patients Visiting Ophthalmology Clinics in Southern Ethiopia, 2022

“… 25 , 28 But the finding of this study is higher than the study done in Addis Ababa and Borumeda hospital, South Wollo which is 4% and 18.34%, respectively. 15 , 17 The discrepancy seen between the above result and the current study might be due to research methodology differences and cut-off points for defining the outcome of interest that is in a study done in Nigeria, the PVA 6/9 or worse was considered as visual impairment. This hospital-based study is also higher than several other community-based studies in Ethiopia, which have shown rates ranging from 4% to 12.9%.…”

Epidemiology and trends in the uptake of refractive error services in Harare, Zimbabwe: a hospital-based retrospective study

“…Budenz et al 36 , reported a reduction in visual impairment from 17.1% to 6.7% after refraction and correction with spectacle in a population-based study in Ghana. Consistent with the current findings, other hospital-based studies have reported higher prevalence of visual impairment in females than in males 24 , 25 . Studies suggest that the biological effects of female hormones, and socioeconomic factors could affect the uptake of eye care services 37 , 38 .…”

Prevalence and associated factors of refractive error among adults in South Ethiopia, a community-based cross-sectional study

“…The odds of having RE among participants who had a history of diabetes mellitus were 4.02 times higher compared to participants who had no diabetes mellitus. This result is comparable with the studies conducted in Borumed, Ethiopia, and Yunnan, China [ 7 , 39 ]. Clinical research has demonstrated that transient RE shifts are related to blood glucose levels.…”

“…In Sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of RE was approximately 46% [ 5 , 6 ]. Hospital-based studies conducted in Gondar, Borumeda, and Arba Minch, Ethiopia showed that the prevalence of RE was 76.3%, 18.3%, and 27.5% respectively [ 7 – 9 ].…”