Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: November | Volume: 9 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 115-119
Low Vision Service Delivery by Optometrists in Ghana
Nyankerh CNA1, Agyekum S2, Boateng AK2, Appah M3
1Vision Science Graduate Program, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
2Department of Optometry and Vision Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
3Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
Corresponding Author: Agyekum S
ABSTRACT
Aim: To investigate the barriers to the delivery of low vision services by Ghanaian optometrists.
Methods: A short questionnaire was sent to 135 optometrists in Ghana between January to May 2018. The survey collected information on type of practice, year of graduation, type of low vision services provided and if not, the reasons or limitations.
Results: Completed forms were submitted by 128 optometrists and this represents a significant number of practicing optometrists in Ghana. Most optometrists worked in government practice (78.9%) and even though all responder’s received training in low vision during their Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree, only 3.1% were delivering such services. Those who did not deliver low vision services attributed most of the reasons to the absence of low vision aids/devices in their practice (95.2%) and therefore made referrals mainly to the Koforidua regional hospital (34.6s%).
Conclusion: Low vision services in Ghana is underdeveloped mainly due to the unavailability of low vision aids. Incorporating low vision delivery into the eyecare system may increase its uptake and reduce the number of visual impairment cases.
Key words: Ghana, low vision, optometrists, rehabilitation.