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. 2025 Jul 16;18(1):305.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-025-07385-y.

Accessibility and challenges to ophthalmic instruments acquisition among optometry students in Ghana

Eldrick Adu Acquah  1 , Isaiah Osei Duah  1 , Albert Kwadjo Amoah Andoh  1 , Prince Mintah  1 , Anderson Andrews  1 , Michael Kwesi Asante  1 , Bright Kusi Owusu  1 , Samuel Benaiah Oppong  1 , Beatrice Okrah  2 , Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo  3
Affiliations

Accessibility and challenges to ophthalmic instruments acquisition among optometry students in Ghana

Eldrick Adu Acquah et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence the acquisition of personal ophthalmic instruments (POIs) among optometry students in Ghana. Participant characteristics and patterns of ophthalmic instrument acquisition were collected using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the relationships between factors influencing POI acquisition.

Results description: Overall, 60.2% of students did not have their own ophthalmic instruments. Slightly more than one third (39.8%) owned a POI that was primarily an ophthalmoscope. Multiple logistic regression showed that financial difficulty (AOR: 0.45, CI: 0.29-0.71, p = 0.001), and lack of access to reliable information on instrument quality (AOR: 0.26, CI: 0.10-0.66, p = 0.005) were significantly associated with lower odds of POI acquisition. About 63.3% of students cited financial difficulty as the main barrier to POI acquisition. The findings call for cost adjustments by stakeholders and increase awareness to optimize POIs acquisition among students. Taken together, the findings aim to improve clinical training and reduce disparities in optometry education among optometry students in Ghana.

Keywords: Access; Barriers; Clinical training; Facilitators; Ghana; Ophthalmoscope; Retinoscope.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Committee on Human Research, Publication and Ethics of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana (CHRPE/AP/407/23) after formalized institutional approval from authorities of the Departments of Optometry and Visual Sciences at KNUST and UCC. The study obtained written informed consent from all student participants and adhered to the Tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to enrolment. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Specific personal ophthalmic instruments acquired by optometry students
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Barriers to acquisition of personal ophthalmic instrument by optometry students
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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