advertisement
Abstract #49070 Published in IGR 14-1
Ocular morbidity in the rural areas of Allahabad, India
Singh A; Dwivedi S; Dabral SB; Bihari V; Rastogi AK; Kumar DNepalese journal of ophthalmology : a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal of the Nepal Ophthalmic Society : NEPJOPH 2012; 4: 49-53
BACKGROUND: Although there has been a considerable reduction in the infective causes of ocular morbidity, the global burden of blindness has not significantly altered for over a decade. OBJECTIVES: To find the extent of ocular morbidity in different subgroups of the rural population and to study the factors associated with ocular morbidity. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Jasra and Saidabad blocks of Allahabad District. A total of eight villages were selected by multistage random sampling technique. The data were analyzed with SPSS Software. RESULTS: Among 9,736 people surveyed, 931 cases of eye diseases were identified. Ocular morbidity was highest (40.92 %) among those aged above 60 years. A higher morbidity was also observed among females (53.60 %), illiterates (69.50 %) and those belonging to low socioeconomic strata (42.86 %). The main causes of ocular morbidity in the study population were cataract (41.89 %), uncorrected refractive errors (21.59 %), xerophthalmia (10.20 %) and glaucoma ( 4.83 %). CONCLUSIONS: Programs for cataract surgery, detection and treatment of glaucoma, correction of refractive errors and vitamin A prophylaxis for xerophthalmia need to be targeted to further reduce the burden of ocular morbidity.
Department of Community Medicine, Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital, Bareilly, UP, India.
Full articleClassification:
1.1 Epidemiology (Part of: 1 General aspects)
