• Melkamu Temeselew Tegegn, Aragaw Kegne Assaye, and Gizachew Tilahun Belete.
• Department of Optometry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
• Afr Health Sci. 2023 Sep 1; 23 (3): 683695683-695.

PurposeThe study aimed to determine the prevalence, causes, and associated factors of visual impairment and blindness among the older population in Outreach sites, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA community-outreach-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 821 older population which were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Face-to-face interviews and ocular examinations were performed to collect the data. A binary logistic regression was performed.ResultA total of 821 participants were recruited for the study with a median age of 57 years, with a range of 40-91 years. Out of 821 participants, 41.8% had visual impairment, and 11.7% were blind. Sixty-four and fifty seven percent of visual impairment and blindness were caused by cataract. Age ≥70years (AOR=15.0; 95%CI: 8.4-26.9), rural residency (AOR=2.3; 95%CI: 1.5-3.6), non-formal education (AOR=3.0; 95%CI: 1.6-5.6), unemployed (AOR=1.5;95%CI:1.05-2.4) and history of eye examination (AOR=1.7;95%CI:1.1-2.8) were positively associated with visual impairment. Similarly, blindness was significantly associated with age ≥ 70years (AOR=7.2; 95%CI: 3.1-16.6), rural residency (AOR=2.2;95%CI:1.2-4.2), and history of eye examination (AOR=1.9; 95%CI: 1.1- 3.3).Conclusionthe prevalence of visual impairment and blindness in this study was found to be high. Age, residency, educational status, occupational status, and history of eye examination were significantly associated with visual impairment and blindness.© 2023 Tegegn MT et al.

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