The Eye Care Needs of Persons with Visual Impairment in a District Hospital in Ghana
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Date
2017-11
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Scholars Middle East Publishers
Abstract
Almost 80% of the world‟s visual impairment is treatable or
preventable. Regardless of this, millions of people are at risk of visual loss due to
the lack of eye-care services. The study examined eye care needs of persons with
visual impairments in a District Hospital in Ghana, specifically to assess the
availability of eye care services, challenges and measures to improve accessibility.
A qualitative approach was adopted to interview persons with visual impairments
and eye care providers. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample size of 20;
15 visually impaired and 5 health care providers. A semi-structured interview
guide was adopted to capture data onto a voice recorder and transcribed into
written notes. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse themes generated
from the data according to the objectives. The study found that eye care services
were available to some extent but accessibility to the services was limited due to
inadequate transport fares and poor health insurance coverage. Aids to accompany
clients were limited. Poor infrastructure and equipment limited the ability of
healthcare providers to offer effective services. The study recommends that
outreach services should be encouraged to provide services at the doorstep to
majority and refer complex cases to hospital to reduce cost of transportation. The
study further recommends that relevant infrastructure and equipment should be
provided by government through the Ghana Blind Union to improve eye care
services and also to ensure that health insurance policies adequately cover
diagnosis, treatment and the provision of assistive devices.
Description
Published in Saudi Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Keywords
visual impairments, eye care, persons with visual impairments, assistive device, Ghana, Ghana Blind Union
Citation
Published in Saudi Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences