Prevalence and Causes of Blindness among Sudanese adults attending outreached ophthalmic services in Sudan- 2019

Abstract

Introduction: Blindness is a visual acuity of <3/60, or a corresponding visual field loss to less than 10 degrees in the better eye. It's a serious public health problem that contributes to severe physical limitation, affects the productivity and has psychological and social impacts. The objectives of this research were to estimate the prevalence and to identify the major causes of blindness. Materials & Methods: This was an outreached based cross- sectional study conducted among 858 participants on four different cities in Sudan in 2019. Cluster sampling was used to draw the sample proportionate to size and systematic random sampling was used to select participants. Each study participant was investigated and examined clinically then data were collected using a pre-coded, pretested and administered closed ended questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0.0. Prevalence was estimated, Univariate analysis for all determinants, bivariate analysis by cross tabulation of causes were performed. The study was estimated at 95% confidence level. Results: The prevalence of blindness among the study population was 14%; the uppermost affected region was in Nyala (35%). The majority of blinds were females (59%) and the highest age group affected was of 60 years and above (80%). Glaucoma was the leading cause of blindness (42%) followed by Cataract (32%) and Diabetic Retinopathy (8%). Conclusion: The prevalence of blindness among the study population is high. The majority of affected candidates were females of older age groups. Glaucoma was the leading cause of blindness followed by Cataract and Diabetic Retinopathy