An Indian epidemiological overview of ocular emergencies of the year 2022

Abstract

Aim and objective: This study aimed to provide an epidemiological overview of the ocular emergencies that occurred in India in the year 2022. The study analyzed the demographic, clinical, and etiological characteristics of the patients who presented with ocular emergencies to various eye care facilities across the country. The study also evaluated the outcomes and complications of ocular emergencies and identified the risk factors and preventive measures for reducing their incidence and severity. Method: A retrospective study, we extracted data from the NPCBVI online portal Niramaya and calculated the frequency, percentage, and incidence rates of ocular emergencies by various demographic and geographic variables. Results: More males (55.9%) than females (44.1%) are blind in India. The age group with the highest frequency of blindness is 15–49 years (40%), followed by 50–69 years (30%), ≥70 years (20%) and <15 years (10%). Most of the blind people live in rural areas (70%), while only 30% live in urban areas. The states/UTs with the highest frequency of blindness are Uttar Pradesh (12.3%), Maharashtra (10.5%), Bihar (8.7%), West Bengal (7.4%) and Madhya Pradesh (6.8%). The remaining states/UTs account for 54.3% of the blind population. The most common causes of blindness are trauma (32.8%), infection/inflammation (34.5%) and glaucoma (24.7%). Other causes make up 8% of the total. Conclusion: We concluded that ocular emergencies are a significant public health problem in India and more research is needed to understand their epidemiology and management.

Keywords

• Ocular emergencies
• Epidemiology
• Critical eye care
• Optometry
• Ophthalmology