Blindness and visual impairment in the Niger Delta: A study of Ahoada East Local Government, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: According to the WHO and the National Program for Prevention of Blindness (NNPB), the prevalence of blindness for Nigeria averages 1%. For blindness control/prevention programs to be effective, reliable epidemiological data are needed which is seldom available in developing countries where most of the blind live.
Aim: To determine the prevalence and common causes of blindness and visual impairment in Ahoada-East Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was carried out between November and December 2002. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to randomly select 866 individuals from a generated household list in six of the 34 communities in the LGA. Ocular examination included visual acuity, fundoscopy and intra-ocular pressure (IOP) measurement in subjects with cup/disc ratio > 0.5. Data was recorded using the standard WHO/PBL eye examination.
Results: Most of the subjects were <60 years old with a male/female ratio of 1:1.4. The prevalence of bilateral blindness and visual impairment was found to be 2.8% (95%CI=1.8-4.7) and 8.2% (95%CI=6.5%-10.2%) respectively. The leading causes of bilateral blindness were cataract (50%), glaucoma (20.8%) and chorioretinitis (12.5%), while the common causes of visual impairment were cataract (33.8%), refractive error (26.8%) and glaucoma (26.8%).
Conclusion: A relatively high rate of blindness was found in the study area, caused by preventable and treatable conditions commonly associated with ignorance and lack of access to services. Community-oriented Primary Eye Care can easily address these problems including health education, eye screening and proven short term measures such as periodic surgical eye camps.


Port Harcourt Medical Journal Vol. 1(1) September 2006: 56-61