Introduction. Low vision is a worldwide health problem in both developing and developed countries. A national survey of low vision and blindness in Ethiopia showed that the prevalence of low vision was 3.7% and that of blindness was 1.6%, whereas there is no evidence in the study area. Purpose. The study was aimed to assess the proportion and associated factors of low vision at the University of Gondar tertiary eye care and training center. Methods. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 727 study participants with a systematic random sampling technique from April 18 to May 16, 2019. Data were collected through the use of a structural questionnaire and physical eye examination. Data were entered into Epi Info version 7, and analysis was performed by using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20. The binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with low vision, and variables with a P value of <0.05 in a multivariable binary logistic regression were considered as statistically significant. Results. A total of 715 study participants have participated in this study with a mean age of 49.39 ± 19.93 years. The prevalence of low vision was 35.7% (95% CI: 32.3, 39.3). Being female (AOR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.10, 2.28), no formal educational level (AOR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.25, 4.02), history of cataract surgery (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.53, 4.36), and age ≥ 70 years (AOR: 3.96; 95% CI: 2.21, 7.10) were significantly associated with low vision. Conclusion and Recommendation. The prevalence of low vision found in this study was high as compared with the national and global magnitude. Older age, being female, previous history of cataract surgery, and no formal education were independently and significantly associated with low vision. Cataract and uncorrected refractive errors were identified as the main causes of low vision. Therefore, it requires a plan to provide an eye care education to the community, increasing the quality of cataract surgery and refractive service for the community in the catchment area.

: Traditional medicines are commonly used throughout the world, especially in Africa. About 13.2–82.3% of the population uses traditional eye medicine. These are forms of biologically based therapies, practices, or partially processed agents that are applied to the eye or administered orally to achieve a desired ocular therapeutic effect. To determine the prevalence and associated factors of traditional eye medicine use among adult ophthalmic patients attending the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital-Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020. A cross-sectional study within the hospital was conducted on 502 newly admitted adult ophthalmic patients who were selected by using a systemic random sampling method from August 15 to 21 October 2020. Of the total (502) subjects, 93.1% of subjects participated in the study. From the total participants, 22.31% (112) (95% confidence interval (CI: 19–26%)) used traditional eye medicine in the past two years. Positive family history of traditional eye medicine use (Adjusted odds ratio(AOR = 11.1(95% CI: 4.8–25.6)), availability of traditional healers (AOR = 3.7 (95% CI: 1.6–8.6)), residency in the rural (AOR = 24.9 (95% CI: 10.4–59.7)), family income of 300–1,500 adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 6.6 (95% CI: 1.9–22.9)), and ≥ 6 months (AOR = 8.5 (95% CI: 3.02–23.7) were significantly associated with traditional eye medicine use The driving issues for using TEM were the availability and costs of modern medicine. The prevalence of TEM is higher than in the previous study conducted in Ethiopia.

Purpose: To find out the level of eye care service utilization and its determinants among the elderly visually impaired populations while visiting ophthalmic outreach locations in North[1]Western Ethiopia, 2021. Methods: An ophthalmic outreach-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 852 visually impaired older people. Participants were selected by using a systematic random sampling method from January to July 2021. Data were collected by using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and an ocular examination. The collected data were entered into the Epi Info 7, and analyzed using SPSS 20. A binary logistic regression was fitted. Results: A total of 821 participants, with a response rate of 96.5%, were included in the study. The utilization of eye care services within the past two years prior to the study was 21.1% (95 % CI: 18.2–23.9). Having systemic disease (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.5–7.0), being a spectacle wearer (AOR = 4.5, 95% CI: 2.0–9.4), having visual impairment at distance (AOR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.5–5.6), being blind (AOR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.5–5.6), duration of visual impairment ≤1 year (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.3–4.9) were all significantly associated. Conclusion: In this study, utilization of eye care services was low. Being visually impaired at distance, being blind, recent onset of visual impairment, being a spectacle wearer, and having systemic disease were all related to the use of eye care services. The commonest barriers to utilization of eye care services were financial scarcity and long distances between eye care facilities.

Background: Traditional eye medicine is a form of biologically based therapies, practices, or partially processed organic or inorganic agents that can be applied to the eye and lead to a blinding complication. Attitude towards those medicines plays a pertinent role in the practice of those traditional eye medicines. Objective: To determine attitude towards traditional eye medicine and associated factors among adult ophthalmic patients attending University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital-Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 417 newly presenting adult ophthalmic patients who were selected by using a systematic random sampling method from June 22 to August 11, 2020. The data from the interview-based structured questionnaire were entered into Epi Info 7 and analyzed by SPSS 20. Frequency and cross-tabulations were used for descriptive analysis. Association between variables was analyzed using binary logistic regression through the enter method with a 95% confidence interval. Results: A total of 417 subjects with a 98.8% response rate have participated in the study. Of the total study subjects, 60.7% (253) (95% CI: 19– 26%) had a positive attitude towards traditional eye medicine. Residing in a rural area (AOR=6.46 (95% CI: 2.89– 14.45)), positive family history of traditional eye medicine use (AOR=8.01 (95% CI: 4.17– 15.37)) and availability of traditional healer (AOR=19.43 (95% CI: 12.06– 31.64)) were significantly associated with a positive attitude towards traditional eye medicine. Conclusion and Recommendation: Most adult ophthalmic patients had a positive attitude towards traditional eye medicine. Residing in a rural, availability of a traditional healer, and positive family history of traditional eye medicine use had a significant positive association with a positive attitude. Educating the traditional healers on safe practices is crucial in reducing the burden.

Introduction. Strabismus/squint is an ocular misalignment in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It is an avoidable cause of blindness and has a global prevalence which ranges from 2% to 6%. Knowledge of eye diseases is important in encouraging people to seek early treatment, which further helps in reducing the burden of visual impairment. Studies in Ethiopia showed that the level of good knowledge was 37%. There is a lack of information regarding knowledge and related factors of strabismus in the study area and limited in Ethiopia at large. Objective. The aim of this study was to asses knowledge about strabismus and associated factors among adults in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a pretested structured questionnaire through face to face interview from April 17 to May 01, 2019. Using multistage random sampling, 553 participants were included. Data from the entire questionnaire were coded, entered into Epi info version 7, and exported to SPSS version 20 for processing and analysis. Binary logistic regression was fitted, and variables with P value 5000 birrs (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.26–0.76) was negatively associated with good knowledge about strabismus. Conclusion. Almost half of the participants had good knowledge. Occupation and monthly income had a significant association with knowledge about strabismus. Since the source of information (TV/radio and Internet) was extremely important for the reliability and the level of knowledge, it is better to have sufficient media coverage.

Purpose: This study aimed to estimate the magnitude of blindness, identify causes and associated factors among adult patients who visited a Tertiary Eye Care Training Center in Gondar, Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was done at University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center. 708 participants (99.02% of invited) were recruited in this study with a systematic random sampling technique. Interviewer administered questioner and physical examination were applied to collect the data. Blindness was defined as the presenting visual acuity less than 3/60 in the better eye according to the World Health Organization criterion for visual acuity. Data was entered with Epi Info 7 and imported into SPSS for coding and analysis. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed to analyze the entered data. Adjusted odds ratio was used to show the strength of the association and variables with a P–value of < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: The proportion of blindness in this study was 14.3% (95% CI: 11.8– 16.8). Low monthly income (AOR: 4.9; 95% CI: 1.4, 17.1), aged ≥ 60– 69 (AOA: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.2, 7.6), and aged ≥ 70 years (AOR: 4.8; 95% CI: 1.9, 12.2) were positively associated with blindness. In this study, the leading cause of blindness was cataract (49.5%), followed by glaucoma (18.8%) and Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (9.9%). Conclusion: The proportion of blindness was 14.3%. Cataract, glaucoma and AMD were the common causes of blindness. Low monthly income and older age were significantly increased the risk of blindness.