Frank Sandi¹* and Kanji Raheel^2,3

¹The University of Dodoma Medical School, Benjamin Mkapa Teaching Hospital, Dodoma, Tanzania
²Department of Ophthalmology, Catholic University Of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania
³Department of Ophthalmology, Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania

*Corresponding Author: Frank Sandi, The University of Dodoma Medical School, Benjamin Mkapa Teaching Hospital, Dodoma, Tanzania.

Received: February 17, 2023; Published: May 29, 2023

Abstract

Background: Childhood eye diseases are among the top cause of medical consultations, they are of concern because of their prolonged impact on a child's development, learning ability, quality of life, and future work opportunities. Children are at increased risk for ocular complications as compared to adults, because of their inability to express their eye problems which most of them go undetected until in their late stages of life.

This study aimed to assess the distribution of eye conditions among children and young people at a tertiary hospital in Southern Highlands, Tanzania. To recommend customized age specific intervention to prevent sight loss due to delay in treatment.

Method: Hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study involving patients aged up to 24 years. Data from January 2014 to December 2018 were extracted from eye clinic registry books segregated by age, sex and diagnosis. Eye disorders were classified into various categories. Participants were grouped into three age groups. Ratios, percentages, and chi-square associations were calculated. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 505 patients records were reviewed, males were 273 (54.06%). The leading complaints were headache 127 (25.15%) and distant blurred vision 79 (15.64%). The leading diagnosis were uncorrected refractive errors, allergic conjunctivitis and trauma with 189 (37.43%), 119 (23.56%) and 47 (9.31%) respectively. Medical management was provided to 206 (40.79%) of patients, 204 (40.40%) were prescribed spectacles, and 69 (13.66%) were managed surgically. Surgical procedures were corneal repair 28 (40.58%), cataract surgery 15 (21.74%) and superficial foreign body removal 9 (13.04%).

Conclusion: Uncorrected refractive errors, allergic conjunctivitis and ocular trauma are significant cause of ocular morbidity among the study population. These conditions are easily diagnosed and when detected can be sufficiently treated with better outcomes. Delay in seeking medical care or lack of screening programs customized to this age group poses increased risk of visual impairment. Early age screening and eye health promotion are effective methods to reduce this load.

 Keywords: Eye Diseases; Refractive Errors; Childhood Blindness; Visual Impairment; Corneal Repair

References

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Citation

Citation: AFrank Sandi and Kanji Raheel. “Extended Childhood Eye Diseases in Southern Highlands of Tanzania: Profile and Patterns from a Tertiary Hospital Over Five Years".Acta Scientific Ophthalmology 6.6 (2023): 19-25.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Frank Sandi and Kanji Raheel. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.