The burden of ocular morbidities among elderly patients visiting a district healthcare facility in Malawi: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: The population of older adults is growing dramatically. Sadly, this populace is highly prone to develop various ocular morbidities, which if left unattended can lead to blindness.Aim: To determine the distribution of ocular morbidities among older adults at a secondary hospital in Malawi.Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Mzimba North District Hospital in Malawi. We retrieved 314 patient records from the hospital's ophthalmic outpatient registry from August 2020 to July 2022 using a nonprobability census sampling technique. Data entry and analysis were done employing SPSS (v.26).Results: More females 164 (52.2%) than males 150 (47.8%) had ocular morbidities.Cataract 108 (34.4%) was the most common ocular morbidity followed by allergic conjunctivitis 104 (33.1%), then pingueculae 44 (14%), and glaucoma 8 (2.5%) Cataract showed a statistically significant difference between males and females (p < 0.05). And Glaucoma portrayed a statistically significant variation according to age groups (p < 0.05). According to the time of the year, most cases were attended to in March compared to August. Conclusion:The majority of blinding conditions among the elderly in Malawi are preventable similar to other geographical settings. Therefore, it is feasible to enhance the quality of life for senior Malawians and lessen the impact of blindness on individuals, families, and communities by addressing preventable causes of blindness through focused interventions.

Establishing the profile of eye diseases among elderly patients attending a tertiary hospital in Northern Malawi

“…In the current study, prevalence of eye diseases was higher in the month of June and peaked in July which is contrary to the study conducted at Mzimba, Malawi where the highest number was recorded in March 12 . The high frequency of eye conditions in this month in our study coincides with the winter season in Malawi and also represents off season for various farming activities hence majority has time to attend to eye health care 31 .…”

“…In this review, more males than females had ocular morbidities similar to the pattern observed among general population in the central region at Kasungu, Malawi and in Eastern Odisha, India respectively 15 , 16 . In contrast, a study conducted at a district health facility in Mzimba district in Northern Malawi found that females visit eye care facilities more than their male counterparts 12 . The variation could be attributed to different eye care services offered at the district and tertiary level.…”

“…Yet the number of Malawians aged over 60 will be > 1 million by 2030 and > 2 million by 2050 11 . A recent report gave an account of the distribution of eye diseases among elderly at a secondary hospital in Malawi 12 . Despite this information, statistics on the extent of ocular morbidity among Malawian elderly at tertiary health care facility remains obscured.…”

Prevalence of Ocular Morbidity and Associated Factors Among Hearing Impaired Children at Embangweni School of the Deaf in Mzimba District, Malawi

“…Although eye care services are provided freely at the point of access as part of the Essential Health Package, Malawians still incur transportation costs. 30 Therefore, this study highlights the role of outreach eye screening programs in high-risk population groups. 31 , 32…”

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.…”