Journal of the Nigerian Optometric Association

Are eye care practitioners equipped to manage people with diabetes?

Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

No Abstract

Evaluation of near point of convergence and amplitude of accommodation after treatment of malaria with artemether-lumefantrine

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Malaria induces a recession of the near point of convergence and a reduction of the amplitude of accommodation of the eye with symptoms such as blurred vision at near, difficulty reading, asthenopia, exophoria at near, and low accommodative convergence ratio occurring, all these symptoms lead to an interference in visual functioning and performance. Artemether- Lumefantrine anti-malaria drug is widely used and very effective as a first line treatment for uncomplicated plasmodium falciparum malaria infection. There is a need to determine if artemether-lumefantrine can reverse the effects of malaria on the amplitude of accommodation and near point of convergence.

Methods: This was a clinical study carried out using the convenient sampling method at the medical center and department of Optometry teaching clinic of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria to evaluate amplitude of accommodation and near point of convergence after treatment with artemether-lumefantrine. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects that participated in the study and ethical clearance from the Ethics Committee of the School of Health Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri. 143 subjects aged 18 to 30 years diagnosed with malaria were recruited for the study. The amplitude of accommodation was measured using the push-up to blur method with an accommodative target, and near point of convergence was determined using the push-up to break and recovery method with an accommodative target. Both measurements were taken after the diagnosis of malaria was made through laboratory analysis and before the administration of the drug. After drug administration, amplitude of accommodation and near point of convergence measurements were repeated 24-, 48-, 72-, and 336 hours. Effects of drug administration on parameters were analyzed using T-test and ANOVA.

Results: There was a significant increase in the amplitude of accommodation with time following administration of artemether-lumefantrine drug combination (p<0.001) while near point of convergence was not affected (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Artemether-lumefantrine used for the treatment of malaria countered the effect of malaria parasite on amplitude of accommodation by increasing it but had no significant effect on near point of convergence.

Comparative study between phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgery on the axial length and anterior chamber depth

Okechukwu Clinton Ifeanyi, Benjamin Obuchi Fortune, Iyamu Eghosasere — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Aim: To compare the effect of phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgery on axial length and anterior chamber depth.

Method: An observational cohort study was conducted on 90 participants (48 females and 42 males) who were scheduled to undergo cataract surgeries at Adetula Opticals Eye Clinic, Oshodi-Isolo, Lagos State, Nigeria. The participants were divided equally into two groups to receive phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgeries respectively, their eyes’ axial lengths and anterior chamber depths were measured before and after the respective surgical procedures. Unpaired T-test and Paired T-test were employed to analyze data, with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22.0).

Results: The paired T-test showed significant changes (p < 0.05) with a decrease in axial length and increased anterior chamber depth measurements before and after Phacoemulsification and small incision cataract surgery. However, the Unpaired T-test showed no significant differences when comparing changes in axial length and anterior chamber depth between the two surgical procedures (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Both procedures led to increased anterior chamber depths along with a reduction in axial lengths, nevertheless, the variations between the surgical techniques were not significant.

A survey of workers' knowledge of occupational hazards and eye-protective device use in a bottling company

George Nnamdi Atuanya, Presley Oghomwen Onaghise — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose: Occupational hazards pose a considerable threat to the health and safety of workers in bottling companies particularly in cases where adequate protective measures are not in place. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of occupational hazards and the use of eye protective devices among workers at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Coca-Cola bottling company in Benin City, Edo State using a well-structured questionnaire administered to the entire 349 workers of the Coca-Cola bottling company. The result was tested using the statistical package for social science (SPSS statistics for Windows, version 22.0), and the P value was set at (P=0.05). Chi-square test was used to determine relationships between relevant variables. A p-value of <0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.

Results: Results showed that majority of the participants (99.4%) had knowledge of the use of eye protective devices while (0.6%) had no knowledge of their uses. No significant association was found between the different demographics, constant use of eye protective devices during work was not significantly associated with gender (p=0.376), marital status (p=0.680), level of education (p=0.359), or duration of employment (p=0.695).

Conclusion: Despite the increased awareness of the use of eye-protective devices among the workers, majority of the participants do not make use of these eye-protective devices when working. It is recommended that there should be a collective effort to enhance workplace safety, align knowledge with the use of eye-protective devices, and strive for safety excellence.

Knowledge and attitude towards tele-eyecare among Optometry students in University of Benin

Oseleonomhen Monica Odigie, Jennifer Akpotiri, Marco Zeppieri, Mutali Musa — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose: Tele-eyecare is a form of tele-healthcare that engages in delivering eye care services to patients using telecommunications technology. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude towards tele-eyecare among optometry students.

Methods: A convenience sampling technique was used to distribute pre-tested questionnaires to 268 students in pre-clinical and clinical classes of the Department of Optometry, University of Benin. The characteristics of the respondents were displayed using percentages and tables. The association between knowledge, attitude, and characteristics of respondents was tested using the Chi-square test.

Results: Among the respondents, 56.7% were females while 43.3% were less than 25 years of age. The majority of the respondents (92.6%) indicated that tele-eyecare involved the use of information and communication technology to provide eye care services. 86.6% of respondents believed that tele-eyecare can improve the quality and accessibility of eye care services while 75.4% agreed that tele-eyecare would benefit future eye care providers. Furthermore, 65% of respondents were interested in getting training on tele-eye care, age, gender, and year of study influenced the knowledge and attitude of the respondents (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The majority of the participants demonstrated good knowledge and a good attitude towards tele-eyecare, however, there is a need to close the tele-eye care knowledge gap among clinical optometry students.

The effectiveness of therapeutic agents in the treatment of age-related cataract: A systematic review

Obialo Iwunze Osigwe — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Context: The effectiveness of therapeutic agents in the treatment of age-related cataract has been studied by many authorities and nothing concrete has been documented to encourage further discourse on followups and pharmaceutical trials.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of therapeutic agents in the treatment of age-related cataract.

Data Sources: The search engines employed include PUBMED and EBSCO research Databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, E-journals and Open Dissertations).

Study Selection: The key words used were “age-related cataract”, “drug treatment”, “cataract” and “pharmacotherapy”. There was no language restriction. Studies were random controlled trials and quasi experiments that reported relative risks, odds ratios or hazard ratios with 95%CI for their reported results.

Data Extraction: Independent mining of articles by one author applying already defined data fields, including study value pointers.

Data Synthesis: Data was put on a spread sheet and analyzed according to the study parameters of interest.

Results: 90 percent of the studies reported a measure of effects on age-related cataracts in humans and enucleated cataractous human lens nuclei, horses, dogs, and goats, and induced cataracts in rats and rabbits.

Conclusions: Many substances have been researched and shown to inhibit development and progression of age-related cataract in human eyes and in selenite and diabetic cataracts in animal models. It is possible to ameliorate cataract with pharmacotherapy once the right combination of agents is discovered.

Case reports on Low Vision Assessment & Management of Marfan Syndrome (MFS) Patients, in a Tertiary Hospital in Kano, Nigeria

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an inherited disorder that affects the heart, joints, skeleton, skin, and eyes. People living with MFS are described as tall, long, slender built in appearance, with arachnodactyly, chest wall deformities, and scoliosis. A long, narrow face with deep-set eyes, down-slanting palpebral fissures, flat cheekbones, and a small chin are the facial features often found in people with MFS. The onset varies from infancy to all ages with most cases being diagnosed in the first two decades of life. In children, ocular findings are microspherophakia, congenital/infantile glaucoma, high refractive error at a young age, uveitis, retinal detachments, and enophthalmos secondary to the absence of retrobulbar fat. The basic management procedures include topical dilating agents for chronic dilation of the eye to increase pupillary size for aphakic correction, thorough and careful refraction, the use of contact lenses and/or glasses, removal of the dislocated lens, cataract surgery and treatment of amblyopia. Low vision assessments were carried out on the patients. The approach to the management of the two patients, whose cases are being reported, was different for each case and differed from conventional low vision management. Spectacle corrections of OD -20.00DS (1.76LogMar 6/36 near: 0.80M@23cm) and OD +7.5.0DS (6/9 1M@12cm) were issued for Cases 1 & 2 respectively. 8X Telescope (6/9) and magnifiers (4X Handheld N5 and spectacle +16 DS 0.50m/ N5) were recommended for cases 1 and 2 respectively. Low vision and rehabilitation were found to maximize visual functioning and are reliable options for MFS.

Editor’s Note

Nwakaego Ikoro — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

No Abstract