Utilisation pattern of ophthalmic services in Ashanti Region, Ghana

Abstract

Background: Best practice in optometry and ophthalmology recommends regular visits to eye care professionals, as routine eye examinations support early detection of ocular defects and associated systemic, sometimes potentially life-threatening, conditions. Aim: The study sought to determine the utilisation of ophthalmic services and its associated factors in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Setting: Fifty electoral areas in 10 of the 43 districts in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Methods: A total of 1615 participants, aged 18 years and above, were randomly selected in the Ashanti region of Ghana for this population-based, cross-sectional survey. The factors associated with having had an eye examination were guided by Andersen’s Behavioural Model. The data were analysed using multiple logistic regression, employing the IBM SPSS software, version 25. Results: After statistical adjustments, compared with the 18–29-year-old age group, older participants were found to be more likely to utilise eye care services: In addition, participants with higher formal education had higher odds for eye care utilisation compared with no former education: Being hypertensive, self-reported vision problems and feeling that regular eye examinations are important, were statistically associated with eye care utilisation. Conclusion: There is alarmingly poor utilisation of ophthalmic services in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Effective programmes to promote public health by addressing the socio-economic and individual barriers hindering the uptake of ophthalmic services in the Ashanti region of Ghana are thus necessary. Contribution: The study addresses a gap in the knowledge of factors associated with ophthalmic services utilisation in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

Keywords

• utilisation
• ophthalmic services
• visual impairment
• blindness
• eye care services