Knowledge, experience and practices of optometrists in Uganda about keratoconus

BackgroundKeratoconus has a global prevalence of 0.2 to 4790 per 100 000 persons and there is currently no published report about its incidence, prevalence or the role of optometrists in its management in Uganda. This study looked at the role of optometrists in the diagnosis, management and referral...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:African vision and eye health Jg. 84; H. 1; S. 1 - 9
Hauptverfasser: Wanok, Godfrey, Arunga, Simon, Dhillon, Baljean, Nsubuga, Naomi
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Cape Town AOSIS 2025
AOSIS (Pty) Ltd
AOSIS Publishing
Schlagworte:
Astigmatism
Contact lenses
Cornea
Diagnostic tests
Hospitals
keratoconus
Medicine, General & Internal
Ophthalmology
optometrists
Optometry
Rural areas
spectacles
Surgery
Transplants & implants
Uganda
Kenya
Uganda
Africa
Uganda
spectacles
keratoconus
optometrists
contact lenses
ISSN:2413-3183, 2410-1516, 2410-1516
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:BackgroundKeratoconus has a global prevalence of 0.2 to 4790 per 100 000 persons and there is currently no published report about its incidence, prevalence or the role of optometrists in its management in Uganda. This study looked at the role of optometrists in the diagnosis, management and referral of patients with keratoconus in Uganda.AimTo determine the knowledge, experiences and practices of optometrists in the management of keratoconus in Uganda.SettingThis study was conducted in Uganda.MethodsFifteen optometrists who had practiced for at least one year were recruited into the study, which was conducted in accordance with the International Conference on Harmonisation Tripartite Guideline for Good Clinical Practice. The study involved interviews that were conducted over zoom and telephones, which were considered for participants who had internet challenges. The sessions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded and themes were derived.ResultsThe median number of years of experience was 7 years. The participants’ experiences were reported in terms of diagnosis, management and referral of patients with keratoconus and common themes were explored. Retinoscopy and Munson’s sign were the most common diagnostic methods while spectacles were the most common management option used by the optometrists.ConclusionMost optometrists relied on retinoscopy for diagnosis and spectacles for the management of keratoconus because of the lack of diagnostic equipment and challenges associated with contact lens practice in Uganda.ContributionThis is the first study to explore how keratoconus is managed by optometrists in Uganda and the results can be used to improve patient care in the country.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:2413-3183
2410-1516
2410-1516
DOI:10.4102/AVEH.V84I1.968