A profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource-limited setting
Background: The university-based low vision clinic is one of the few low vision clinics in South Africa. Aim: To describe demographic and clinical profiles of patients who attended this clinic from 2010 to 2017. Setting: The university low vision clinic, South Africa. Methods: The record cards of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2020-04-01
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| Series: | African Vision and Eye Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://avehjournal.org/index.php/aveh/article/view/500 |
| _version_ | 1818515060242251776 |
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| author | Zamadonda N.Q. Xulu-Kasaba Khathutshelo P. Mashige Mawande G. Mthembu Nkululeko S. Mazibuko Ntombi A. Mabunda Ahmed S. Randeree Asharia Parsad |
| author_facet | Zamadonda N.Q. Xulu-Kasaba Khathutshelo P. Mashige Mawande G. Mthembu Nkululeko S. Mazibuko Ntombi A. Mabunda Ahmed S. Randeree Asharia Parsad |
| author_sort | Zamadonda N.Q. Xulu-Kasaba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The university-based low vision clinic is one of the few low vision clinics in South Africa.
Aim: To describe demographic and clinical profiles of patients who attended this clinic from 2010 to 2017.
Setting: The university low vision clinic, South Africa.
Methods: The record cards of all patients seen at the low vision clinic over 8 years were examined and the following information was extracted: age, gender, presenting visual acuity (VA), VA following low vision assessment, cause of visual impairment and types of low vision devices recommended.
Results: A total of 621 patients were examined, comprising 45.1% males and 55.9% females aged 36.0 ± 18.2 years (range: 4–93 years). Many of these patients (33.7%) had presenting VA worse than 1.3 logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (logMAR) ( 6/120) at 4 m in the better eye, and 196 (31.6%) had presenting VA of worse than 1.3 logMAR at near distance. Following optical low vision assessment, 62.4% had distance VA of 0.9 LogMAR (6/48) to −0.2 logMAR (6/3.8) and 58.4% had near VA of 0.9 logMAR (6/48) to −0.2 logMAR (6/3.8). Albinism (22.7%), unknown causes (18.2%), cataract (15.5%) and macular diseases (12.2%) were the most common causes of low vision. Amblyopia (80.7%) was the most common cause of low vision in patients aged 20 years and younger, followed by albinism (68.1%) and corneal diseases (41%). Cataract (78.1%), macular diseases (64.4%) and glaucoma (55.9%) were the most common causes of low vision in patients aged more than 60 years. Telescopes (33.8%) were the most commonly recommended form of intervention, followed by magnifiers (29.6%) and protective measures (24.5%).
Conclusion: Albinism, cataract and macular diseases are the predominant causes of low vision in patients attending this low vision clinic. There was a significant improvement in VA after low-vision assessment, particularly for patients with presenting VA of better than 1.3 logMAR (6/120). |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T00:24:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3f86507851014b85b9317989d6bbabcd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2413-3183 2410-1516 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T00:24:05Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Vision and Eye Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f86507851014b85b9317989d6bbabcd2022-12-22T01:27:38ZengAOSISAfrican Vision and Eye Health2413-31832410-15162020-04-01791e1e710.4102/aveh.v79i1.500419A profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource-limited settingZamadonda N.Q. Xulu-Kasaba0Khathutshelo P. Mashige1Mawande G. Mthembu2Nkululeko S. Mazibuko3Ntombi A. Mabunda4Ahmed S. Randeree5Asharia Parsad6Discipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanDiscipline of Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, DurbanBackground: The university-based low vision clinic is one of the few low vision clinics in South Africa. Aim: To describe demographic and clinical profiles of patients who attended this clinic from 2010 to 2017. Setting: The university low vision clinic, South Africa. Methods: The record cards of all patients seen at the low vision clinic over 8 years were examined and the following information was extracted: age, gender, presenting visual acuity (VA), VA following low vision assessment, cause of visual impairment and types of low vision devices recommended. Results: A total of 621 patients were examined, comprising 45.1% males and 55.9% females aged 36.0 ± 18.2 years (range: 4–93 years). Many of these patients (33.7%) had presenting VA worse than 1.3 logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (logMAR) ( 6/120) at 4 m in the better eye, and 196 (31.6%) had presenting VA of worse than 1.3 logMAR at near distance. Following optical low vision assessment, 62.4% had distance VA of 0.9 LogMAR (6/48) to −0.2 logMAR (6/3.8) and 58.4% had near VA of 0.9 logMAR (6/48) to −0.2 logMAR (6/3.8). Albinism (22.7%), unknown causes (18.2%), cataract (15.5%) and macular diseases (12.2%) were the most common causes of low vision. Amblyopia (80.7%) was the most common cause of low vision in patients aged 20 years and younger, followed by albinism (68.1%) and corneal diseases (41%). Cataract (78.1%), macular diseases (64.4%) and glaucoma (55.9%) were the most common causes of low vision in patients aged more than 60 years. Telescopes (33.8%) were the most commonly recommended form of intervention, followed by magnifiers (29.6%) and protective measures (24.5%). Conclusion: Albinism, cataract and macular diseases are the predominant causes of low vision in patients attending this low vision clinic. There was a significant improvement in VA after low-vision assessment, particularly for patients with presenting VA of better than 1.3 logMAR (6/120).https://avehjournal.org/index.php/aveh/article/view/500low visionamblyopiacataractmacular diseasesglaucomatelescopesmagnifiers |
| spellingShingle | Zamadonda N.Q. Xulu-Kasaba Khathutshelo P. Mashige Mawande G. Mthembu Nkululeko S. Mazibuko Ntombi A. Mabunda Ahmed S. Randeree Asharia Parsad A profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource-limited setting African Vision and Eye Health low vision amblyopia cataract macular diseases glaucoma telescopes magnifiers |
| title | A profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource-limited setting |
| title_full | A profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource-limited setting |
| title_fullStr | A profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource-limited setting |
| title_full_unstemmed | A profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource-limited setting |
| title_short | A profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource-limited setting |
| title_sort | profile of patients presenting at a low vision clinic in a resource limited setting |
| topic | low vision amblyopia cataract macular diseases glaucoma telescopes magnifiers |
| url | https://avehjournal.org/index.php/aveh/article/view/500 |
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