Barriers and enablers of utilization of low-vision rehabilitation services among people 50 years or older in East and Southeast Asia: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Objectives: This scoping review aims to explore and describe the barriers and enablers of low-vision rehabilitation service utilization among people 50 years or older in East and Southeast Asia. Introduction: Vision impairment is strongly associated with aging. East and Southeast Asia are experiencing a rapidly growing aging population and the associated eye-related health burdens. Despite the benefits of low-vision rehabilitation services, they are underutilized in these regions. Identifying the barriers and enablers of service utilization could be a crucial first step in making the services more accessible and, ultimately, easing the burden of this health issue. Inclusion criteria: This review will include published quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods studies and reviews that examine the barriers and/or enablers of low-vision rehabilitation service utilization among people aged 50 years or older living in East and Southeast Asia. Low-vision rehabilitation services are defined as any kind of intervention that aims to mitigate the impact of disability induced by eye-related health conditions. Methods: A literature search of 4 databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Academic Search Ultimate, and Ichushi-Web), as well as a manual search of the reference lists of included articles, will be conducted to identify eligible articles. Two independent reviewers will assess the articles for inclusion. Data extraction will focus on general information of the study, demographic or descriptive information about the study population, the eye condition being studied, means of low-vision rehabilitation, and the barriers and/or enablers of service utilization. The information will be tabulated to depict the categories of barriers and enablers that influence access to services.