Barriers to the uptake of eye care services in people with distance and near visual impairment in Lusaka: A questionnaire-based study

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Objective: To determine the socio-demographic factors associated with the uptake of eye care services among individuals with Distance Visual Impairment (DVI) and Near Visual Impairment (NVI).Methods: A prospective, questionnaire-based study was conducted at two outpatient clinics located in Lusaka, Zambia from August to September 2023. A total of 460 participants aged ≥15 years with presenting distance Visual Acuity (VA) <6/12 in their better eye and binocular near VA < N6 were included. The barriers reported by the participants were used for the analysis. A Chi-square test was used to find the association between the barriers and socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender, education, occupation, and the type of visual impairment.Results: Among the 460 participants enumerated, 378 (82%) had DVI and 82 (18%) had NVI. In the DVI group,the mean (SD) age was 62.6 (16.2) years; 59% were women. Based on VI, 43.9% had mild VI, 38.6% had moderate or severe VI, and 14.8% were blind. In the NVI group, the mean age was 53.2 (10.8) years; 72% were women. The leading barriers reported in the DVI group were the cost of the treatment (43.4%) and the distance of the services (35.7%). Lack of felt need (31.7%), cost of the treatment (22%), inadequacy of hospitals (22%) and the distance of the services (20%) were reported as barriers by participants in the NVI group.Conclusion: Economic, service and person-related barriers, strongly impact the likelihood of seeking eye care services across all age groups, with the elderly being particularly affected.Key words: Barriers, Eye care, Visual impairment, Lusaka- Zambia, Utilisation

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