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.