Introduction and aim. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening is first step in prevention of diabetic retinopathy related ocular morbidity. The aim of the study was to assess the gaps in the knowledge and awareness and evaluate its effects on the attitude and practice in known diabetic patients and to assess any anticipated barriers and its association with knowledge, attitude and practices. Material and methods. A closed-ended questionnaire was given to 112 diabetics who met the inclusion criteria and visited a tertiary eye hospital in western Maharashtra. The purpose of the questionnaire was to assess knowledge, attitude and practices and perceived barriers to the study of DR. The statistical analysis was done on SPSS software. Results. In our study, 73.4% did not know about DR, suggesting poor awareness about the disease, 59.5% did not feel the need for regular eye checkup. 67 (61.1%) had no knowledge about blood sugar control level and lipid control for effective control of DR, 89 (79.5%) of participants did not know about effective treatment options. Moreover, 74 (66.1%) participants were advised for DR screening by physician, while 60 (53.5%) were willing to get screened, negative attitude was not getting screened when vision is good seen in 87 (79.1%) participants. Furthermore, 84 (75%) patient think eye checkup are expensive, 66% people believe availability of doctor is an issue. 60 (54.5%) think that eye checkups are time consuming. Conclusion. Our study demonstrated, that Spearman’s correlation coefficient between knowledge and awareness and based on attitude and practice, is 0.54, and that this is statistically significant (p<0.01). Our study has shown poor awareness and knowledge about the disease thus affecting attitude and practices, eye screening is considered expensive has been pointed out a major barrier in this study.
Ophthalmomyiasis, fly larvae infestation of eye, is a rare condition that can have variable presentation depending on the type of fly, ocular structures involved, and level of penetration. A case of ophthalmomyiasis externa presented with foreign body sensation, itching, and redness of eyes for 2 days was documented. Mechanical removal and good local treatment helped the patient. The larva isolated was that of Oestrus ovis (sheep nasal botfly). Ophthalmomyiasis externa is mainly caused by sheep botfly O. ovis and it is more common in farming communities. This infestation is rare in India as very few cases are on records.
Purpose This study aims to estimate the prevalence of uncorrected refractive error and ocular morbid conditions in school-going children of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) industrial belt. Methods Ocular examination was done in a well-equipped mobile clinic on school premises in the presence of a school teacher using visual acuity (VA) charts, autorefractometer, retinoscope, and handheld slit lamp. For the age group of 5-6 years, Lea symbols and HOTV charts were used, and for the age group of >7 years, Snellen’s chart was used. A detailed anterior segment examination was done to see lid position, the presence of any lid swelling, conjunctival congestion, conjunctival xerosis, corneal opacity, and lens opacity, and findings of previous eye surgery were noted. Spectacle correction was given to these students if they were found to have a significant refractive error. Children requiring intervention other than refractive correction were referred to a tertiary hospital. Results A total of 3,054 school children were examined. Most were between the age group of 11-15 years (2,448 (80.2%)), with a mean age of 12.45 ± 2.022 years; 1,470 (48.1%) were male children. A total of 368 (12.04%) children had uncorrected refractive error. Myopia was seen in 204 (6.68%) children, hypermetropia in 16 (0.52%) children, and astigmatism in 148 (4.85%) children. On classification, simple myopic astigmatism (SMA) was found in 73 (2.39%) children, compound myopic astigmatism (CMA) in 38 (1.24%) children, simple hypermetropic astigmatism (SHA) in 13 (0.34%) children, and compound hypermetropic astigmatism (CHA) in 16 (0.52%) children. Moreover, 121 children had ocular morbid conditions. Ocular morbidity with decreased vision was seen in 52 (1.7%) children with preexisting refractive error and 12 (0.39%) with amblyopia, and strabismus was seen in eight (0.26%) children. Five (0.16%) children had lens disorder, and five (0.16%) had no improvement with glasses despite normal anterior segment. Conclusion There was a high prevalence of uncorrected refractive error. Early detection of uncorrected refractive error and ocular morbidity will improve overall performance in school-going children.
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