Demographic pattern of refractive anomalies in Niger Delta presbyopes - Implications for preventive eye care practice

Abstract

Refractive error is a complex and multifactorial condition that varies in prevalence across populations with different genetics, demographics, ocular and extrinsic factors, such as education. The Nigerian National Blindness and Visual impairment Survey [3], indicated that uncorrected refractive error accounts for 57.1% of moderate visual impairment (visual acuity [VA], > 6/18–6/60). Economic consequences are considerable, as uncorrected refractive errors including presbyopia also affect people in the working-age group. Presbyopia is the type of refractive error which occurs due to loss of elasticity of the lens capsule and lens substance; it’s an age-related change and is common all over the world. This article reports on the types of refractive error that occur among patients in the presbyopic age group (35 to 80 years) in Port Harcourt, located in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. To the best of our knowledge, no such study has been conducted in this locality before for comparison with results from other parts of the country.