Introduction: Presbyopia, a physiological insufficiency of accommodation, impairs the ability to perform near task. Considered as a disease of the forties, it reduces functional efficiency of the individual as well as the society since it affects the majority of working population. This study was an effort to evaluate the risk factors that can lead to its earlier onset. Purpose of the study was to evaluate the frequency of risk factors associated with premature presbyopia in a hospital-based study in Sundergarh district, Odisha.

Introduction: Ocular complications in diabetes have a significant impact on the working population. Apart from diabetic retinopathy, diabetes can lead to several non-retinal complications like cataract, ophthalmoplegia, dry eye, corneal kerato-epitheliopathy and refractive error. With the addition of substantial number of newly diagnosed diabetics per year there is a significant ever-growing burden on health services. Materials and methods: It was a hospital-based study conducted at Hi-tech Medical College and hospital where patient diagnosed as diabetics within one year and in the working age-group 30-65 years were included. After the routine ocular evaluation these subjects were administered a concise questionnaire containing questions testing their awareness about diabetes, its ocular complications and eyecare practices. Results: A total of 727 newly diagnosed diabetics were assessed with mean age 49.64 +/-7.28. The incidence of cataract was 18.7% and DR 9.35% respectively. Although nearly half the study population had some knowledge of diabetes, knowledge about ocular complications was limited. The main source of the information was the prescribing doctor. Conclusion: Determining the clinical profile of ocular complications with an assessment of knowledge and awareness of eye-care practices in the newly diagnosed diabetics can help to formulate the interventional measures to control the ocular morbidity.

Objectives: Globally, cataract and glaucoma are the predominant causes of blindness. Screening glaucoma in patients referred for cataract surgery is a convenient tool for detecting glaucoma cases in rural population. The COVID period has adversely affected eye care as the routine screening and follow-ups at hospital were substantially reduced owing to pandemic restrictions. We aim to study the impact of COVID on detection of glaucoma in patients with cataract. Methods: It was a retrospective study conducted to compare the prevalence of glaucoma in rural patients presenting with cataract pre- and post- COVID. Details of 975 consecutive patients each were taken prior to March 2020 (pre-COVID) and after October 2021 (post-COVID) from hospital database and patient case files. Results: The prevalence of glaucoma was higher during the pre-COVID time (3.8%) as compared to pre-COVID (3.8%), but the result was not statistically significant. In both the groups, primary open-angle glaucoma was the pre-dominant form of glaucoma, with prevalence being 1.5% and 2.2% in the pre-COVID and post-COVID groups, respectively. The mean intraocular pressure and mean VCDR values were higher in the post-COVID group as compared to the pre-COVID group, and the result was statistically significant. Conclusion: This was the first study to compare the prevalence of glaucoma in patients with cataract in rural population in the pre-COVID and post- COVID periods. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the present study emphasizes the role of screening and follow-ups in glaucoma management to prevent irreversible loss of vision.