The Burden of Ocular Morbidities Among Elderly Patients Visiting a District Healthcare Facility in Malawi

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 non-probability 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. Thus elderly Malawians above 50 years are encouraged to get a routine eye exam at least once a year.

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

“…Our study found that Cataracts are the second common ocular disorder in contrast to a previous study 12 which found that cataract was a common ocular morbidity. The difference can be explained by differences in eye care staff composition between the two study settings.…”

“…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.…”

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

“…In this review, more females than males visited the clinic with ocular morbidities similar to the pattern observed at a government health facility in the district [12]. In contrast, Kang and colleagues found that more males attend eye care services in Kasungu, Malawi [8].…”

“…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].…”

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 Elsewhere, the most common ocular problem was refractive error.…”