scholarly journals Prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness in three ecological regions of Nepal

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan Krishna Shrestha ◽  
Sunjuri Zhi Yu Sun ◽  
Ben Limbu ◽  
Manish Poudel ◽  
Shankar Prasad Khanal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intensive Training ◽  
Ecological Regions ◽  
Snellen Chart

Abstract Background: Visual impairment and blindness are significant public health issues worldwide. The study aims to explore is the prevalence and causes of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness across three ecological regions of Nepal. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in three districts covering all ecological regions of Nepal. Intensive training for health workers was provided to conduct door-to-door visits for visual acuity testing using Snellen chart and refer the abnormal cases for comprehensive ocular examination by technicians and ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat ocular morbidities. Collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and Stata software. Results: Altogether 5234 participants were enrolled in the study. The overall prevalence of moderate to severe visual impairment was 9.5% (4.7% in the Mountain district, 11.2% in the Hill district and 21.2% in the Tarai district), though the prevalence of MSVI was 1.5% in participants aged 15-49 years and 25.1% in those aged ≥50. The overall prevalence of blindness was 0.9%, and the prevalence of blindness in the 15-49 and ≥50 age groups was 0.2% and 2.3% respectively. Most cases of visual impairment and blindness (95.5%) were an avoidable cause, of which 93.7% were treatable and 1.8% were preventable. Overall, cataract was the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness (53.5%), followed by uncorrected refractive error (39.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness varied significantly with age, ethnicity and locality. The correction of refractive error and cataract surgery would reduce nine in ten cases of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness. Key words: Epidemiology, Public health, visual, Optic and refraction

scholarly journals Prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness in three ecological regions of Nepal

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan Krishna Shrestha ◽  
Sunjuri Zhi Yu Sun ◽  
Ben Limbu ◽  
Manish Poudel ◽  
Shankar Prasad Khanal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intensive Training ◽  
Ecological Regions ◽  
Snellen Chart ◽  
Significant Public Health

Abstract Background: Visual impairment and blindness are significant public health issues worldwide. The study aims to explore is the prevalence and causes of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness across three ecological regions of Nepal. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in three districts covering all ecological regions of Nepal. Intensive training for health workers was provided to conduct door-to-door visits for visual acuity testing using Snellen chart and refer the abnormal cases for comprehensive ocular examination by technicians and ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat ocular morbidities. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Stata software. Results: Altogether 5234 participants were enrolled in the study. The overall prevalence of moderate to severe visual impairment was 9.5% (4.7% in the Mountain district, 11.2% in the Hill district and 21.2% in the Tarai district), though the prevalence of MSVI was 1.5% in participants aged 15-49 years and 25.1% in those aged ≥50. The overall prevalence of blindness was 0.9%, and the prevalence of blindness in the 15-49 and ≥50 age groups was 0.2% and 2.3% respectively. Most cases of visual impairment and blindness (95.5%) were an avoidable cause, of which 93.7% were treatable and 1.8% were preventable. Overall, cataract was the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness (53.5%), followed by uncorrected refractive error (39.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness varied significantly with age, ethnicity and locality. The correction of refractive error and cataract surgery would reduce nine in ten cases of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness.

scholarly journals Prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness in three ecological regions of Nepal

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan Krishna Shrestha ◽  
Sunjuri Zhi Yu Sun ◽  
Ben Limbu ◽  
Manish Poudel ◽  
Shankar Prasad Khanal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intensive Training ◽  
Ecological Regions ◽  
Snellen Chart ◽  
Significant Public Health

Abstract Background: Visual impairment and blindness are significant public health issues worldwide. The study aims to explore is the prevalence and causes of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness across three ecological regions of Nepal. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in three districts covering all ecological regions of Nepal. Intensive training for health workers was provided to conduct door-to-door visits for visual acuity testing using Snellen chart and refer the abnormal cases for comprehensive ocular examination by technicians and ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat ocular morbidities. Collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and Stata software. Results: Altogether 5234 participants were enrolled in the study. The overall prevalence of moderate to severe visual impairment was 9.5% (4.7% in the Mountain district, 11.2% in the Hill district and 21.2% in the Tarai district), though the prevalence of MSVI was 1.5% in participants aged 15-49 years and 25.1% in those aged ≥50. The overall prevalence of blindness was 0.9%, and the prevalence of blindness in the 15-49 and ≥50 age groups was 0.2% and 2.3% respectively. Most cases of visual impairment and blindness (95.5%) were an avoidable cause, of which 93.7% were treatable and 1.8% were preventable. Overall, cataract was the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness (53.5%), followed by uncorrected refractive error (39.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness varied significantly with age, ethnicity and locality. The correction of refractive error and cataract surgery would reduce nine in ten cases of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness.

scholarly journals Prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness in three ecological regions of Nepal

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan Krishna Shrestha ◽  
Sunjuri Zhi Yu Sun ◽  
Ben Limbu ◽  
Manish Poudel ◽  
Shankar Prasad Khanal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intensive Training ◽  
Ecological Regions ◽  
Uncorrected Refractive Error

Abstract Background: Visual impairment and blindness are significant public health issues worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and causes of moderate to severe visual impairment (MSVI) and blindness in people aged 15 years and above across three ecological regions of Nepal. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in one district in each of the three ecological regions of Nepal. Intensive training was provided to health workers on how to conduct door-to-door enumeration, visual acuity testing and referral when indicated for comprehensive ocular examination by technicians and ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat ocular morbidities. Collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) v19.0 and Stata v10.0 software. Results: Altogether 5234 participants were enrolled in the study (participation rate 96.4%). The overall prevalence of MSVI was 9.5% (95% CI = 8.7 - 10.3) which was 4.7% in the Mountain district, 11.2% in the Hill district and 21.2% in the Tarai district. In those aged 15-49 years MSVI prevalence was 1.5% and in those aged ≥50 it was 25.1%. The overall prevalence of blindness was 0.9% (95% CI=0.6-1.2), and the prevalence of blindness in the 15-49 and ≥50 age groups was 0.2% and 2.3% respectively. Most cases of visual impairment and blindness (95.5%) were due to cataract and uncorrected refractive error. Overall, cataract was the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness (53.5%), followed by uncorrected refractive error (39.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness varied significantly with age, ethnicity and locality. The correction of refractive error and cataract surgery would reduce nine in ten cases of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness. Key words: Epidemiology, Public health, visual, Optic and refraction

scholarly journals Prevalence and causes of vision impairment and blindness in three ecological regions of Nepal

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan Krishna Shrestha ◽  
Sunjuri Zhi Yu Sun ◽  
Ben Limbu ◽  
Manish Poudel ◽  
Shankar Prasad Khanal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Refractive Error ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intensive Training ◽  
Ecological Regions ◽  
Snellen Chart ◽  
Significant Public Health

Abstract Background Vision impairment and blindness are significant public health issues worldwide. The study aims to explore is the prevalence and causes of moderate to severe vision impairment and blindness across three ecological regions of Nepal. Methods A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in three districts covering all ecological regions of Nepal. Intensive training for health workers was provided to conduct door-to-door visits for vision acuity testing using Snellen chart and refer the abnormal cases for comprehensive ocular examination by technicians and ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat ocular morbidities. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Stata software. Results Altogether 5234 participants were enrolled in the study. The overall prevalence of moderate to severe vision impairment was 9.5% (4.7% in the Mountain district, 11.2% in the Hill district and 21.2% in the Tarai district), though the prevalence of MSVI was 1.5% in participants aged 15-49 years and 25.1% in those aged ≥50. The overall prevalence of blindness was 0.9%, and the prevalence of blindness in the 15-49 and ≥50 age groups was 0.2% and 2.3% respectively. Most cases of vision impairment and blindness (95.5%) were an avoidable cause, of which 93.7% were treatable and 1.8% were preventable. Overall, cataract was the leading cause of vision impairment and blindness (53.5%), followed by uncorrected refractive error (39.5%). Conclusion The prevalence of vision impairment and blindness varied significantly with age, ethnicity and locality. The correction of refractive error and cataract surgery would reduce nine in ten cases of moderate to severe vision impairment and blindness.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Causes of Visual Impairment and Blindness in Three Ecological Regions of Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-12
Author(s):  
Mohan Krishna Shrestha ◽  
Sunjuri Sun ◽  
Ben Limbu ◽  
Manish Paudel ◽  
Shankar Khanal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Intensive Training ◽  
Ecological Regions ◽  
Uncorrected Refractive Error

Introduction: Visual impairment and blindness are significant public health issues worldwide. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and causes of moderate to severe visual impairment (MSVI) and blindness in people aged 15 years and above across three ecological regions of Nepal. Materials and methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in one district in each of the three ecological regions of Nepal. Number of participants from each region was distributed as per the prevalence findings of pilot study, with 2815 participants enrolled in Dolakha, 1509 in Dhading and 910 in Sarlahi. Intensive training was provided to health workers on how to conduct door-to-door enumeration, visual acuity testing and referral when indicated for comprehensive ocular examination by technicians and ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat ocular morbidities. Collected data were analyzed using standard software. For categorical data, frequency, percentage and 95% CI were calculated and statistical tests were done using Chi-square/Fisher exact test. Results: Altogether 5234 participants were enrolled in the study (participation rate 96.4%). The overall prevalence of MSVI was 9.5% (495). It was 4.7% (133) in the mountainous region, 11.2% (169) in the Hill and 21.2% (193) in the Tarai. In those aged 15-49 years, MSVI prevalence was 1.5% (52) and 25.1% (433) in ≥50 years. The overall prevalence of blindness was 0.9% (47). It was 0.2% (6) in 15-49 and 2.3% (41) in ≥50 age groups. More than 95% visual impairment and blindness were due to cataract and uncorrected refractive error. Cataract was the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness (290, 53.5%), followed by uncorrected refractive error. Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness varied significantly with age, ethnicity and locality. The management of uncorrected refractive error and operable cataract would reduce nine in ten cases of moderate to severe visual impairment and blindness.

scholarly journals Prevalence and risk factors for myopia among school children in Aba, Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uchenna C. Atowa ◽  
Alvin J. Munsamy ◽  
Samuel O. Wajuihian
Keyword(s):  
School Children ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Significant Difference

Aim: To study the prevalence of myopia among school children in Aba, Nigeria.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in public and private (primary and secondary) schools. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used for selecting participants aged between 8 and 15 years from 12 schools in Aba, Nigeria. Data were analysed for 1197 children who underwent a comprehensive eye examination. The children were divided according to the following criteria: age groups (group 1 [8–11 years] or group 2 [12–15 years]), gender (male or female), level of education (primary or secondary) and type of school (public or private). Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent refraction (SER) ≤ -0.50 D in the poorer eye.Results: The prevalence of myopia was estimated to be 2.7%. Of the 96 children with refractive error, 78.1% were uncorrected. In using logistic regression analysis, risk of developing myopia was associated with older age groups (odds ratio [OR]: 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–9.11; p < 0.010) and higher level of education (OR: 1.73; 95% CI, 1.05–2.86; p < 0.030). There was no significant difference in myopia prevalence between male and female children (p = 0.89).Conclusion: Although the prevalence of myopia and overall prevalence of refractive error in school children in Aba were low, the high prevalence of uncorrected refractive error is a significant public health problem. An effective and sustainable children’s vision screening programme is needed to prevent visual impairment and blindness.

scholarly journals Refractive Errors and its Associated Factors among Undergraduate Medical Students in Kathmandu

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30
Author(s):  
Aparna Rizyal ◽  
JS Sunrait ◽  
A Mishal
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Parental History ◽  
Medical College

 Refractive error is a defect in the optical system of the eye which prevents light from being brought to a single point focus on the retina, thus reducing normal vision. This optical defect is the second most common cause of visual impairment globally as well in Nepal. At present, there are 285 million visually impaired people in the world. An estimated 4 out of 5 visual impairment (80%) can be prevented or cured, uncorrected refractive errors are the leading cause (42%) followed by cataract (33%). A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to determine the proportion of undergraduate medical students with refractive errors in Nepal Medical College, and to identify factors associated with it. A total of 210 medical students volunteered for this study, with 100 males (47.6%) and 110 females (52.4%). The age of these students were between 18 to 26 years, with an average of 20.5 years. The proportion of medical students with refractive error was slightly more than half (51.4%), with simple myopia being the leading type (42.9%), followed by astigmatism (7.1%) and simple hypermetropia (1.4%). Parental history of refractive error was observed to be significantly associated with that of the medical students. There was also a significant association between refractive error and the daily use of mobile phones and laptops. However, years spent in medical education were not observed to be significant.

scholarly journals The Pattern of Ocular Morbidity, Findings from a Study Conducted in Western Remote Hilly Region of Nepal

1970 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Bastola
Keyword(s):  
Refractive Error ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Ocular Allergy ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dry Eyes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Hilly Region ◽  
Ocular Morbidity

Background: There is a lack of study in the pattern of ocular morbidity in western hilly region of Nepal. Therefore a study was carried out to find out the pattern of ocular morbidity, in various age groups in a diagnostic, screening and treatment camp (DST) held in a western hilly remote region of Nepal. Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional study was done to find out the pattern of ocular morbidity in a western hilly region of Nepal. All the cases included in the study were examined thoroughly from Ophthalmological perspective and a diagnosis was made. Patients needing treatment both medical as well as surgical were advised accordingly and referred when indicated. Results: A total of 712 eyes of 356 cases were examined in this study. The range of the age varied from two months of life to 91 yrs of age. Age wise most number of cases were in the school going age group accounting for almost 80% of all the cases. The commonest ocular morbidity encountered were refractive error (15.4%), dry eyes, ocular allergy, followed by cataract. Majority of the cases had both dry eyes and ocular allergy. While 70 eyes of 35 patients had no ocular morbidity. Conclusion: The lower prevalence of age related cataract was due to the extensive cataract surgical coverage provided in the region by various organizations and because of lesser number of cases examined above the age of 40 years. Finding of just three cases of Xerophthalmia (X2B), pointed out towards the success of extensive Vitamin A supplement program run by the ministry of health. Keywords: Refractive error; dry eyes; ocular allergy; cataract DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njms.v1i1.5795   Nepal Journal of Medical Sciences. 2012; 1(1): 35-38

Job burnout and correlated factors of three‐tiered public health workers: A cross‐sectional study in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 1241-1251
Author(s):  
Yiqing Mao ◽  
Yue Hu ◽  
Zhanchun Feng ◽  
Ruoxi Wang ◽  
Xiaoyu Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Job Burnout ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public Health Workers ◽  
Correlated Factors

scholarly journals Angka kejadian miopia pada anak usia sekolah dasar di Kecamatan Banjararum Kabupaten Kulon Progo, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reny Setyowati ◽  
Indra Tri Mahayana ◽  
Tri Winarti ◽  
Suhardjo Pawiroranu
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Visual Disturbance ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Normal Vision ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Uncorrected Refractive Error

Refractive disorders begin to affect many children and become a burden of disease in the community due to lack of awareness by parents and screening by health workers. This research was a cross-sectional study and carried out at screening of visual acuity in primary school-aged children. A total of 38 children aged 6 - 12 were the subjects in this study. This research was conducted in Banjararum sub-district, Kulon Progo Regency, Yogyakarta Special Province in September 2018. The average age of subjects was 8.8 ± 1.4 years. Result showed refraction status before correction (uncorrected refractive error/URE) with mean visual acuity of 0.3 logMAR (equivalent to 6/12 Snellen). The most common refractive disorders were myopia simplex (63.2%) and 38.8% of subjects experienced moderate visual impairment. After being corrected, as much as 97.4% of subjects reached normal vision. Burden of undiagnosed refractive disorders in rural population was high even though the visual disturbance is reversible.

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