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MORBIDITY PROFILE OF GERIATRIC PATIENTS VISITING OPHTHALMOLOGY OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT, SERVICES HOSPITAL LAHORE

Dr. Shanza Maryam, Dr. Hassan Nawaz Yaqoob, Dr. Muhammad Junaid Iqbal, Dr. Muhammad Haris Ghous

Introduction: The people of age 60 years and above are considered as geriatric population and the branch of specialty that deals with the health care of these people is known as geriatrics. Aging is not just a numerical, but a physiological process that steadily reduces the body's ability to fight disease, resulting in diminished ability to compensate for a toll of illness of old age. It is a multidimensional process of physical, psychological and social changes. Ocular morbidity is defined as the spectrum of eye diseases which includes both visually impairing and non-visual impairing conditions, experienced by a population. The visual impairing ocular morbidity is a major public health problem. Objectives: Study the morbidity profile among geriatric patients visiting ophthalmology outpatient department of Services Hospital, Lahore. Study design: It was a cross sectional study. Study Settings: Ophthalmology Outpatient Department of Services Hospital, Lahore. Subjects: All the patients of age 60 years and above vising ophthalmology OPD Results: A data collection team visited the ophthalmology OPD of s Services Hospital, Lahore to study the morbidity profile of geriatric patients in the time duration of one month. After collecting and analyzing the data it was found that cataract was found to be the most prevalent disease among geriatric population (54.3%). The percentage of refractive error was (31.7%), glaucoma (12.2%), retinopathy (6%) and ARMD (3.1%). In the category of “others” were included diseases which are less common and among those, retinal detachment was most common having percentage of (4.9%) and other disease of conjunctiva, iris, retina and, and vitreous were less common. It was also found that cataract, glaucoma and refractive error were more common in males than females. Conclusion: According to our study, cataract was found as the most common diseases among geriatric patients and males being more affected than females. Refractive error and glaucoma were the second and third most common diseases affecting more males than females. Retinopathy and ARMD were less common among geriatric patients in our study. Retinal detachment which we thought as less common was actually very common among geriatric patients. Some other diseases and infections of the cornea, conjunctiva, lens and iris were less common among the geriatric patients. Key Words: Geriatrics, Ocular morbidity, Outpatient Department.

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