The Use Of Eye Care Services Among Civil Servants In Accra

Abstract

Vision 2020 aims to eliminate avoidable blindness in the world by 2020 and targets the leading causes of avoidable visual impairment (WHO, 2010). Many eye and vision problems have no obvious signs and symptoms. Early diagnosis and treatment of eye and vision problems are important for maintaining good vision and eye health, and when possible, preventing vision loss. This study attempted to find the eye health seeking behaviours of workers in Ghana. A descriptive cross – sectional survey using a structured questionnaire was carried out among civil servants. Simple random sampling was used to select respondents and logistic regression used to determine factors that influence the use of eye care services among respondents. Two hundred and one respondents were interviewed with equal numbers of male and female respondents. Fifty- six per cent of all respondents had used eye care services. Respondents with some history of an eye problem were more likely to have used an eye care facility than (OR 0.096, CI 0.032-0.291), than those who had no history of eye problems. Intensive health education is needed to inform people of the need for regular comprehensive eye examinations