Prevalence of eye diseases, refractive errors and visual impairments in the Debre Markos referral hospital

Eye diseases are conditions that affect any part of the eye and the structures immediately around the eyes. The overall objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of eye diseases, refractive errors and visual impairments among patients who were admitted to Debre Markos Referral Hospital. Retrospective data were collected from 2019 to 2023. A total of 61,946 patients were examined at the referral hospital for Eye diseases and Eye conditions. Age, sex and visual acuity were considered from the case record files. Data analysis was performed via SPSS version 20 software. Cataract was the most common eye disease observed followed by presbyopia and glaucoma in the study area. Moreover, monocular blindness, visual impairment and eye binocular blindness were observed within three years in the study. Compared with female patients, more than half of the patients were male. In general, eye disease records were highly prevalent at the productive age level, which is between 15 and 64 years in both sexes. This may affect the national economy by minimizing productivity and increasing medical costs. Therefore, sustainable solutions, such as the creation of awareness in prevention mechanisms, should be developed.