Ocular Complaints among a Population of Underserved Ecuadorians: Public Health Implications

Background: Ocular health problems are major concerns in the world today, particularly in resource-poor settings. Among the vast global health disparities that exist, ocular health often receives less attention than more acute issues. Yet untreated and under-treated eye diseases are major sources of disability and morbidity in these settings. This poster discusses ocular health complaints among a population of rural Ecuadorians seeking care through mobile health clinics. Methods: 1,827 Ecuadorian men, women, and children were surveyed at ten mobile clinics (Bolivar Province). Self-reported data included demographic information and reason for presentation to clinic. Participation rate was 70.3%. Results: The population had a mean age of 39.7 years, was 60.4% female, 80.6% literate among adults, traveled a mean time of 42.4 minutes to clinic, and received care generally at hospitals (38.3%) or subcentros (40.3%). Ocular complaints were present in 42.7% of the population, with 25.8% vision-related and 26.3% general eye complaints, including red eyes, itchy eyes, excessive tearing, conjunctivitis, pyterigium. Although non-fitted prescription glasses and eye drops were given, many of these patients needed a higher level of eye care or ongoing monitoring and treatment, none of which was available to them. Conclusions: Primary care mobile clinics should collaborate with mobile eye clinics (Unite for Sight, Orbis) as a short-term solution to address the high prevalence and severity of eye complaints in rural populations. More emphasis and training on ocular health should be provided to physicians and nurses practicing in resource-poor communities to ultimately improve ocular health disparities.