Abstrakt

Prevalence, causes and factors associated with visual impairment in old age in Egypt

Marwa Ali Zaki, Reman El-Sayed Ali, Moataz Fayez Elsawy, Asmaa Mohamed Ibrahim, Esraa S. El-Ghoubashy

Purpose: Visual impairment is a major worldwide health and socioeconomic problem, so it is very important to estimate the prevalence, risk factors, and causes associated with visual impairment in the elderly population in Egypt.

Methods: Our cross-sectional study was made among low vision patients and 60 years old who attended the outpatient clinic of the ophthalmology department of Menoufia University Hospital, for their eye check.

Results: Our study participants included 329, composed of (55.9% female) and (44.1% males), and the mean ± SD (was 67.6 ± 6.3). The total prevalence of visual impairment was significantly high and its types were consisting of mild (20.1%), moderate and severe (70.2%), and blind (9.7%). The main causes of visual impairment were cataract (41.1%), refractive error (15.6%), ARMD (13.9%), diabetic retinopathy (9.5%), glaucoma (4.3%), hereditary causes (4.3%), retinal vascular diseases (4.3%), myopic macular degeneration (3.5%) and others (3.6%). The corrected or prevented causes of vision impairment were in the upper hand with 56.7% and non-corrected causes were 43.3%. The risk factors of visual impairment were HTN, DM, heart disease, atherosclerosis, bronchial asthma, and liver disease with high distribution and prevalence in old age.

Conclusion: The prevalence of low vision and blindness in the elderly population in Egypt is still very high compared to other neighbouring countries. This needs comprehensive national plans in collaboration with WHO to solve this problem. Cataract and errors of refraction remain the leading causes of visual impairment in the elderly population in Egypt.