A retrospective study to analyse the ocular morbidity in the slum-dwelling population of central India.

Abstract

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of different ocular pathologies in theslum-dwelling population of central India and to find its correlations with socio-demographic factors.Methodology: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study in 84 slum areas across Bhopal,Jabalpur and areas in the vicinity using a camp-based approach during the study period of 3 years.A total of 15478 participants attended the camp, and of them, 6177 patients had variousophthalmological conditions. A detailed history was obtained, and participants were subjected to acomplete ophthalmological examination. Based upon their diagnosis, they were prescribedtreatment. Referral to the tertiary care centre was done when needed. Results: The prevalence ofocular morbidities was 39.9%. The most common ocular morbidity documented in our study wasrefractive errors (22.7%). Proportions of lid pathologies were significantly higher in patientsbelonging to less than ten years of age (36.4%). In contrast, refractive errors were observed inhigher proportions of patients belonging to more than ten years of age (p<0.05). Pterygium ratiowas significantly higher in males, whereas ocular malignancies were higher in females (p<0.05).Proportions of almost all the ocular morbidities were substantially higher in patients with lowsocioeconomic status (p<0.05). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of ocular morbidities in theslum population is high. The most common ocular morbidity includes refractive error and allergicconjunctivitis. These morbidities correlated with age, gender and socioeconomic status. Werecommend periodic screening of the slum population across all age range to prevent long termcomplications and disabilities.