Temporal Trends in Ophthalmic Disease Presentation in Gombe State, Nigeria: A Year- And Month-Based Analysis

Temporal and seasonal patterns in ophthalmic disease presentation are important for healthcare planning, but evidence from northeastern Nigeria is limited. This study assessed annual and monthly trends in ophthalmic presentations at Specialist Hospital Gombe over five years. A retrospective analysis was conducted using records of 9,199 patients seen between January 2021 and May 2025. Data were analysed by year, month, diagnosis, and age group. Descriptive statistics summarised distributions, while the Mann–Kendall, Kruskal–Wallis, and Chi-square tests assessed temporal trends, monthly variation, and categorical associations, respectively, with significance set at p < 0.05. Annual attendance declined from 2,846 patients in 2021 to 2,168 in 2025, a 23.8% reduction, but this did not represent a significant monotonic trend (p = 0.9306). Monthly attendance varied significantly (p < 0.001), peaking in October (1,636 patients) and reaching its lowest level in December (338 patients), a 4.8-fold difference. Corneal ulcer showed the largest proportional increase (+754.5%), but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.1020). Descriptive seasonal variation was also observed for allergic conjunctivitis, infectious conjunctivitis, dry eye disease, and ocular trauma. Overall age distribution varied significantly across the study period, although changes within individual age groups were not significant. Ophthalmic service utilisation at Specialist Hospital Gombe showed marked monthly variation but no significant long-term annual trend. These findings may inform workforce planning, clinic scheduling, medication procurement, and future surveillance. Prospective multicentre studies incorporating environmental, climatic, and behavioural data are recommended.