ANALYSIS OF FREQUENCY OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND BLINDNESS AMONG OLDER POPULATION

Introduction: Visual impairment is a major global health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were 161 million persons worldwide with visual impairment, in the year 2002. Aims and objectives: The main objective of the study is to analyze the frequency of visual impairment and blindness among older population. Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in THQ Hospital, Jatoi, Muzaffargarh during March 2018 to November 2018. The data was collected from the old age patients (50 to 70 years) of both genders. There are 100 participants who were enrolled for this study. The data was collected through a questionnaire. All patients were diagnosed for causes of visual impairment by ophthalmologists. During the study, the primary cause of visual impairment was recorded based on ophthalmologist diagnosis. Further examination was performed by optometrists at the low vision clinic to assess visual acuity, refraction, and visual demands. Results: The data was collected from 100 patients. The average age of the study group was 50.53 ± 16.245 years. The majority of the study population (80%) were under 70 years. Levels of visual impairment among patients were classified according to the WHO standards, which are based on patient’s BCVA. A total of 16 patients (19.3%) had mild visual impairment (VA 6≥18), 60 patients (45.2%) had moderate visual impairment (VA 6/18 to 6/60), 7 patients (20.0%) had severe visual impairment (VA 6/60 to 3/60), and 17 patients (15.6%) were blind (VA