Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan;57(1):58-65.
doi: 10.4314/gmj.v57i1.9.

Ophthalmic services utilisation and associated factors in the Ashanti region, Ghana

Abdul-Kabir Mohammed  1   2 , Alvin J Munsamy  1
Affiliations

Ophthalmic services utilisation and associated factors in the Ashanti region, Ghana

Abdul-Kabir Mohammed et al. Ghana Med J. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: This survey determined the utilisation of eye care services and associated factors among adults in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

Design: A population-based cross-sectional descriptive study.

Method: Data for this study was collected from 1615 randomly selected individuals in the Ashanti region of Ghana, using a structured, pretested interviewer-guided questionnaire. Information regarding the accessibility and determinants of, and barriers to, eye care services was based on self-reports, using the WHO Eye Care Services Assessment Questionnaire. Inferential analyses were performed using the chi-square test for statistical significance, set at p=0.05.

Setting: Ashanti Region, Ghana.

Participants: One thousand six hundred and fifteen randomly selected adults.

Results: Public eye care facilities were used by 58.2% of the participants for their last eye exam. Of the participants, 47.0% had travelled less than five kilometres for their last eye exam. Waiting time and service cost were participants' most frequently cited challenges in seeking care. No need felt (40.1%), self-medication (37.7%) and cost (22.2%) were the most frequently mentioned barriers to seeking ophthalmic services.

Conclusion: The major challenges encountered in seeking eye care services were waiting time and cost of service. Major barriers to ophthalmic services utilisation were no need felt, self-medication and cost. Factors such as cost, lack of felt need and self-medication, which serve as barriers to utilising eye care services, should be addressed by stake-holders through eye health education and promotion.

Funding: None declared.

Keywords: Ashanti region; Ghana; Ophthalmic services; Visual impairment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared

References

    1. Resnikoff S, Pascolini D, Etya'Ale D, Kocur I, Pararajasegaram R, Pokharel GP, et al. Global data on visual impairment in the year 2002. Bull World Health Organ. 2004;82:844–851. - PMC - PubMed
    1. McGavin DDM. The global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness-Vision 2020: The Right to Sight. Community Eye Health J. 1999;12(30):32. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization, author. “Visual Impairment and Blindness,” Fact Sheet No. 282. 2012. [March 12, 2021]. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/fact-sheets/fs282/en .
    1. Pascolini D, Mariotti SP. Global estimates of visual impairment: 2010. Br J Ophthalmol. 2012;96(5):614–618. - PubMed
    1. Lewallen S, Courtright P. Blindness in Africa: present situation and future needs. Br J Ophthalmol. 2001;85(8):897–903. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources