The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65523

Oluwatoyin F. Fafowora, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Ibadan, 6640 Van Nuys Boulevard, Van Nuys, CA 91406, 818-225-1010, toyinfaf2@yahoo.com and Adesuwa E. Ogiamien, MA, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health, 650 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095.

ABSTRACT

Aim To compare the prevalence and patterns of eye disease in people who present to a peripheral eye clinic with community residents from ten surrounding villages in an ophthalmically underserved area of western Nigeria.

Data & Information Data were obtained from 397 new patients who attended the monthly peripheral eye clinic in one year and included demographics and ocular diagnoses. In the same year, data from eye screening examinations of 1975 community members were compared with data from the eye clinic.

Methods Ten villages were selected by a stratified random sampling procedure to provide the required sample size for assessment of blindness in the region. In the clinic, all 397 consecutive new patients in the year of the community survey were entered into the study. All community and clinic patients were interviewed and examined using the WHO Guide to Assessment of Avoidable Blindness template.

Results The mean age of patients seen at the eye clinic (38.4y, SD+21.8) was significantly lower than was seen in the community patients (45.4y, SD=4.1) (p<0.01). Leading diagnoses among clinic patients were cataract and cataract-related problems (28.2%) refractive error (17.3%) and vernal conjunctivitis (12.5%). In the community series, the leading diagnoses were pterygium (19.2%), cataract and cataract-related problems (14.7%) and vernal conjunctivitis (12.5%).

Policy Implications Results indicate the importance of community issues in evolution of eye health programs of relevance to the community. The differences observed between hospital cases and cases registered through the community survey would not be reflected in a program planned only on the basis of hospital statistics.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the participants will be able to:
• List 3 challenges faced by ophthalmologists in rural communities in Nigeria
• Identify the differences in ocular disease pattern between hospital patients and community patients.
• Discuss how differences in hospital patients and community patient populations could affect health policy and planning. 4)Identify the challenges faced by underserved populations in accessing quality eye care

Keywords: Policy/Policy Development, Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.