Prevalence and Patterns of Ocular Comorbidities among Geriatric Population Residents in Rural Eastern India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: With the increase in overall life expectancy, the number of people above 60 years old will increase globally from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion in 2050 and is expected to double by 2.1 billion by 2050 with an increase in age-related comorbidities. Age-related ocular co-morbidities are a major comorbidity. According to India's visual impairment and blindness data, cataracts and severe and moderate visual impairment are the most common cases. Objective: To assess the ocular comorbidities among the geriatric population. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken in the field practice area of the Rural Health Training Center (RHTC), Jamujhari, Khordha, affiliated with the Department of Community Medicine, IMS & SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar. Stratified random sampling was done, and one stratum constituted three nearby adopted villages. Four strata were included to select the households, and the first household was selected randomly in each village. A socio-demographic profile and detailed clinical history were collected, and the required clinical examinations were conducted after obtaining consent. Results: The prevalence of ocular morbidity (OM) was found to be 96.8%. Refractive error (RE) has the highest prevalence (86.52%), including prescription-corrected glasses users, whereas age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and ectropion (EC) have the lowest prevalence (3.2%). Conclusions: The study findings show a need for proactive management and earlier screening for better quality of life in the geriatric population.