Prevalence of Eye Diseases in Albania

Marsida Krasniqi
Aleksander Moisiu University

Abstract

Abstract Objective: In Albania there are few data regarding the epidemiology and the visual outcome of eye diseases. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of eye diseases among new patients in the department of Ophthalmology in “Our lady of Good Counsel”. Methods: This is a prospective, cross – sectional study in which 423 patients were included. The patients were examined from May 2019 till February 2020. Data collected from the patients were age, gender, ethnicity, visual acuity and diagnosis. All the data were analyzed by SPSS. Results: From 423 patients that were examined, 64.3% (272 patients) were males and 35.7% (151 patients) were females. Mean age of the patients was 42.3 years (with a rage from three months to 87 years). Regarding the eye diseases, cataract was the most common eye disease with 19.7% of the patients, followed by retinal pathology with 10.9%. Glaucoma was evident in 9.8% of our patients, where visual impairment was noted in 31 patients (75.6 %). Ocular trauma was evident in 44 patients (10.4%) and majority of them had foreign body in cornea. From 101 children examined, 1.9% of them were diagnosed with congenital cataract. 16.8% of children had eye trauma, where 3 patients (17.6%) had open globe injury with visual impairment. Conclusion: Primary health care in all Albania districts should be trained for eye health education to facilitate patient’s education. An early diagnosis and treatment of eye problems (prescription of spectacles, cataract surgery, medical treatment for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy) will prevent visual impairment and blindness.

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