Research about eye health and eye health services in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: We aimed to summarise the extent and nature of published research about eye health and eye health services in Pacific Island Countries and Territories since 1980.

Methods: We searched Medline, EMBASE, Global Health and Cochrane Library to identify publications about eye health and eye health services in 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories from 1 January 1980 to 26 January 2024. Study selection and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently.

Findings: Of the 1610 publications identified, 180 were included. This research was most commonly conducted in Papua New Guinea (n = 52) or Fiji (n = 33) and focused on diabetic retinopathy (n = 29) or trachoma (n = 18), with few focused on cataract or refractive error. While eye health services research was common in the past, recent research focused on trachoma. The included research was largely undertaken and funded by people and organisations from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the USA, though authors with Pacific affiliations is increasing.

Interpretation: Few countries have up-to-date estimates of the prevalence of vision impairment or service coverage to enable evidence-informed planning. Increased effort is required to strengthen research capability to ensure research priorities in eye health are set by Pacific Peoples.

Funding: The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand.

Keywords: Eye health research; Global eye health; Oceania; Pacific Island Countries and Territories; Vision impairment.

Fig. 1

PRISMA flow diagram to summarise search and selection of included publications.

Fig. 2

Map representing number of publications by Pacific Island Country. Wider, lighter blue dots include multi-country publications (counted multiple times), while darker blue dots indicate publications only about one country. The numbers within the dots indicate the number of publications.

Fig. 3

Overview of study types and topics included in eye health and eye health services publications in Pacific Island Countries from 1980 to 1923. Each publication is represented by a dot including the year of publication. Colour represents the targeted eye condition, outlined in the legend; VI, vision impairment.

Fig. 4

Characteristics of publications on eye health or eye health services in Pacific Island Countries from 1980 to 2023 in terms of a) the country of research b) the eye condition targeted by the research c) the countries with which authors had affiliations and d) the funders reported. The number of publications is a rolling average, with data for each year representing a mean of the previous three years. Country conducted and eye condition targeted are limited to one per publication, while funders reported, and country of author affiliations often include more than one per publication. Only the top seven most frequently reported options are plotted. Divisions between shaded areas emphasise dips in research outputs, highlighting the three phases of research described in the text. VI, vision impairment; FHF, The Fred Hollows Foundation.

Fig. 5

Summary of publications in Pacific Island Countries from 1980 to 2023 that focused on the leading causes of vision loss globally. Each study is represented by a dot, with colour indicating the country of research. Eye conditions are sorted by most common cause of blindness globally in 2020, top to bottom (no publications focused on age-related macular degeneration); trachoma was added because it was a focus of research in the region. Asterisks denote population-based prevalence studies.