Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in Kandahar

Background: This study aims to assess the prevalence, primary causes, and associated factors of visual impairment (VI) among individuals aged 40 years and older at Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Methods: The data for this population-based cross-sectional study were collected...

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Main Authors: Mohammad Essa Amirzada, Zarghoon Tareen, Qudratullah Ahmady, Najibullah Rafiqi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies 2024-11-01
Series:Razi International Medical Journal
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Online Access:https://rimj.org/pubs/index.php/journal/article/view/159/124
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author Mohammad Essa Amirzada
Zarghoon Tareen
Qudratullah Ahmady
Najibullah Rafiqi
author_facet Mohammad Essa Amirzada
Zarghoon Tareen
Qudratullah Ahmady
Najibullah Rafiqi
author_sort Mohammad Essa Amirzada
collection DOAJ
description Background: This study aims to assess the prevalence, primary causes, and associated factors of visual impairment (VI) among individuals aged 40 years and older at Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Methods: The data for this population-based cross-sectional study were collected from 2022 to 2023. The calculated sample size was 301, allocated to urban and rural strata using the probability proportional to size method. Visual impairment (VI) encompasses two components: low vision and blindness. Low vision is defined as visual acuity less than 6/18, while blindness is defined as visual acuity less than 3/60, as measured by the Snellen chart. Results: The study included 301 patients, comprising 145 (48.2%) women and 156 (51.8%) men. The age distribution was as follows: 67 (22.1%) participants were aged 40–50 years, 111 (36.8%) were aged 51–60 years, and 127 (42.1%) were above 60 years. Visual impairment was observed in 159 cases (52.8%) in urban areas and 142 cases (47.2%) in rural areas. The leading causes of visual impairment were cataracts in 144 (47.8%) patients, refractive errors in 68 (22.6%), glaucoma in 37 (12.3%), macular degeneration in 28 (9.3%), and diabetic retinopathy in 24 (8.0%). Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment increases notably after the age of 50, particularly among patients with cataracts, followed by those with refractive errors and glaucoma. In conclusion, this research highlights a higher prevalence of visual impairment in patients with cataracts, refractive errors, and glaucoma.
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spelling doaj-art-850514263fd54e34aae1fd19c1944c942025-08-20T02:30:30ZengAfghanistan Center for Epidemiological StudiesRazi International Medical Journal2790-20802789-47112024-11-01425764https://doi.org/10.56101/rimj.v4i2.159Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in KandaharMohammad Essa Amirzada0Zarghoon Tareen1Qudratullah Ahmady2Najibullah Rafiqi3Kandahar UniversityKandahar UniversityKandahar UniversityKandahar UniversityBackground: This study aims to assess the prevalence, primary causes, and associated factors of visual impairment (VI) among individuals aged 40 years and older at Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Methods: The data for this population-based cross-sectional study were collected from 2022 to 2023. The calculated sample size was 301, allocated to urban and rural strata using the probability proportional to size method. Visual impairment (VI) encompasses two components: low vision and blindness. Low vision is defined as visual acuity less than 6/18, while blindness is defined as visual acuity less than 3/60, as measured by the Snellen chart. Results: The study included 301 patients, comprising 145 (48.2%) women and 156 (51.8%) men. The age distribution was as follows: 67 (22.1%) participants were aged 40–50 years, 111 (36.8%) were aged 51–60 years, and 127 (42.1%) were above 60 years. Visual impairment was observed in 159 cases (52.8%) in urban areas and 142 cases (47.2%) in rural areas. The leading causes of visual impairment were cataracts in 144 (47.8%) patients, refractive errors in 68 (22.6%), glaucoma in 37 (12.3%), macular degeneration in 28 (9.3%), and diabetic retinopathy in 24 (8.0%). Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment increases notably after the age of 50, particularly among patients with cataracts, followed by those with refractive errors and glaucoma. In conclusion, this research highlights a higher prevalence of visual impairment in patients with cataracts, refractive errors, and glaucoma.https://rimj.org/pubs/index.php/journal/article/view/159/124prevalencevisual impairmentassociated factorskandahar
spellingShingle Mohammad Essa Amirzada
Zarghoon Tareen
Qudratullah Ahmady
Najibullah Rafiqi
Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in Kandahar
Razi International Medical Journal
prevalence
visual impairment
associated factors
kandahar
title Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in Kandahar
title_full Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in Kandahar
title_fullStr Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in Kandahar
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in Kandahar
title_short Prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in Kandahar
title_sort prevalence and associated factors of vision impairment in kandahar
topic prevalence
visual impairment
associated factors
kandahar
url https://rimj.org/pubs/index.php/journal/article/view/159/124
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AT zarghoontareen prevalenceandassociatedfactorsofvisionimpairmentinkandahar
AT qudratullahahmady prevalenceandassociatedfactorsofvisionimpairmentinkandahar
AT najibullahrafiqi prevalenceandassociatedfactorsofvisionimpairmentinkandahar