The Burden of Ocular Morbidities Among Elderly Patients Visiting a District Healthcare Facility in Malawi

Abstract Background: The population of older adults is growing dramatically. Sadly, this populace is highly prone to develop various ocular morbidities, which if left unattended can lead to blindness. Aim: To determine the distribution of ocular morbidities among older adults at a secondary hospital in Malawi. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Mzimba North District Hospital in Malawi. We retrieved 314 patient records from the hospital’s ophthalmic outpatient registry from August 2020 to July 2022 using a non-probability census sampling technique. Data entry and analysis were done employing SPSS (v.26). Results: More females 164 (52.2%) than males 150 (47.8 %) had ocular morbidities. Cataract 108 (34.4%) was the most common ocular morbidity followed by allergic conjunctivitis 104 (33.1%), then pingueculae 44 (14%), and glaucoma 8 (2.5%) Cataract showed a statistically significant difference between males and females (p<0.05). And Glaucoma portrayed a statistically significant variation according to age groups (p<0.05). According to the time of the year, most cases were attended to in March compared to August. Conclusion: The majority of blinding conditions among the elderly in Malawi are preventable. Thus elderly Malawians above 50 years are encouraged to get a routine eye exam at least once a year.