Ocular Morbidity in Rural Communities in Imo State South East Nigeria

Introduction: Approximately 80% of blindness is avoidable. Poverty and ignorance have been reported as factors responsible for many cases. There is a poor uptake of orthodox eye health services and an increase in the consultation of traditional healers in the developing countries. Age, level of education, occupation, cost and accessibility to these traditional healers have been reported as predictors of this behavior. The absence of eye care services at the rural areas have necessitated the use of free eye screening/treatment as tools for educating and offering eye care to these rural dwellers. Various patterns of eye diseases have been described in different regions and localities within and outside Nigeria. This study aims to determine the pattern and prevalence of ocular disorders in some rural areas of Imo state where primary eye care facilities are scarce with a view to making recommendations to the health authorities for proper planning of eye care services in the state. Methods: This was a retrospective review of data generated from self-selected patients during the free eye screening organized in each of the 3 senatorial zones of Imo state by the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, Imo state. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Results: A total of 1973 subjects participated in the outreach. There were 1111 (56.3%) females and 862 (43.7%) males giving a ratio of 1.3:1. The most common causes of ocular morbidity were refractive error (31.6%), glaucoma (23.5%), presbyopia (17%), and cataract (12.5%). Refractive error, glaucoma, and cataract were significantly associated with age and sex while presbyopia was only positively associated age. Conclusion: Considering the causes of ocular morbidity noted in this study, there is an urgent need to establish primary eye care services in these remote and rural areas in order to achieve the vision 2020 goal of eliminating avoidable blindness.