Ophthalmic survey of an old people's home in Nigeria.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Old people's home is a relatively new experience in Nigeria. Data on the pattern of ocular morbidity among inmates are examined with the aim of making suitable recommendations. METHOD: An old people's home in Port Harcourt was the site of this survey carried out in February 2004. The following data was collected from all inmates-name, sex, age, length of stay, visual acuity, main cause of ocular morbidity, past medical history. Intraocular pressure was measured as indicated. Refractions were carried out on the spot. RESULTS: The male to female ratio of the 20 inmates was 2:3. The age range was from 70-105 years with a mean of 85 years, 7 months +/- 12.14 (SD). The mean duration of stay was 7 years with 50% staying there less than 5 years. 60% had associated systemic illnesses. 85% had visual acuity of less than 3/60 in the better eye. Cataract was the cause of 40% of the ocular morbidity and also caused 57% of the blindness. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the need for regular check up of our geriatric population to enable early detection of ocular health problems and thus prevent avoidable disability and dependency. Social support and health insurance could also improve outcome and uptake of treatment options.