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

Abstract

Background

The elderly comprises the fastest‐expanding age group globally, with the greatest increase occurring in developing countries. The elderly populace is prone to develop various ocular morbidities.

Purpose

To determine the distribution of ocular morbidities among the elderly population visiting a private eye care facility in Malawi.

Methods

This was a retrospective cross‐sectional study conducted at St. John's Hospital in Mzuzu, Malawi. We retrieved data from the hospital's ophthalmic outpatient registry from January, 2021 to December, 2021. A nonprobability census sampling technique was used to retrieve 52 elderly patients. Data analysis were done employing SPSS (v.26).

Results

This study found according to gender a larger proportion were females 27 (51.9%) compared males, who accounted for 25 (48.1%). Refractive error 21 (40.4%) was the most prevalent ocular morbidity followed by cataract 13 (25.0%), pinguecula 6 (11.5%), and glaucoma 4 (7.7%). Although clear differences exist in the distribution of ocular morbidities according to sex ( p = 0.529) and age ( p = 0.328), the differences are not statistically significant.

Conclusion

The pattern of eye diseases is typical to the country. More resources should be targeting main causes of preventable blindness including refractive error and cataracts at the facility.