Prevalence of Refractive Error and Spectacle Coverage in Zoba Ma’ekel Eritrea: A Rapid Assessment of Refractive Error

Abstract

The study provides helpful findings to assist with the development of appropriate refractive service planning in Zoba Ma'ekel. Uncorrected refractive error is of public health importance and prompt measures are needed to address the problem.

Rapid assessment of refractive error in the eThekwini Municipality of KwaZulu‐Natal, Durban, South Africa

“…The prevalence of refractive error was significantly higher among male participants compared to females (p = 0.02). Other related studies in Africa (Eritrea, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania) 17 also demonstrated that refractive error is associated with increasing age and female gender.…”

“…The results of this study indicated a lower prevalence compared with similar RARE studies conducted in other African countries in people over the age of 15 years. For example, the prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors was reported as 6.4 per cent (95 per cent CI 5.6–7.2) in Eritrea, 8.6 per cent (95 per cent CI 7.7–9.6) in Uganda and 10.4 per cent (95 per cent CI 9.4–11.4) in Tanzania; however, the variability in the age cohorts prevents a direct comparison. For example, the Eritrean, Ugandan and Tanzanian RARE studies included people aged between 15 and 50 years.…”

Prevalence of refractive error, presbyopia and spectacle coverage in Kahama District, Tanzania: a rapid assessment of refractive error

“…There are limited comparative studies for Tanzania due to methodology differences but studies conducted using similar rapid assessment methods in Eritrea, Mozambique (J Loughman, personal communication) and India reported lower prevalences of uncorrected refractive error, which were 6.4, 2.6 and 4.8 per cent, respectively. Studies conducted in Eritrea and Andhra Pradesh also showed higher spectacle use compared to our study …”

“…The Kahama district located in the Shinyanga region in Tanzania was chosen for this study due to its similarities in terms of socioeconomic status to the general population in Tanzania . The estimated population of Kahama in 2002 was 596,456 and the study population consisted of subjects aged 15 years and older.…”

“…When employing the cluster sampling method variation in demographic characteristics will be reduced as certain people from the same geographic area can share certain common characteristics . The decrease in the variation in characteristics was addressed by a correcting factor known as the design effect (DEFF).…”