TITLE:
Epidemiological Review of Macular Hole in Ekiti, Southwestern Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Iyiade A. Ajayi, Olusola J. Omotoye, Stella Adegbehingbe
KEYWORDS:
Macular Hole, Southwestern Nigeria, Epidemiological Review, Central Visual Defect
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ophthalmology,
Vol.10 No.4,
November
10,
2020
ABSTRACT: Background: Macular hole is a known cause of central visual defect with varying
etiologies in different parts of the world. It was considered an untreatable
condition until 1991 when varying treatment techniques began to emerge with
resultant restoration of central vision. This study was carried out to evaluate
the prevalence and pattern of Macular hole in a tertiary eye centre in Nigeria. Method: This is a prospective hospital-based study over a 5 year period spanning from
November 2013 to October 2018. All patients with macular hole seen within this
period were included in the study. Relevant data were recorded with a
structured questionnaire and analysed with SPSS version 20. Results: There were 46 eyes of 42 patients which constituted about 0.5% of all new
patients seen over the study period. Male to female ratio was 1:1.3 with age
ranged between 15 and 91years (mean = 61.8 ± 16.5 years). The majority of the patients (95.7%) had
Idiopathic macular hole. Half of the patients (54.8%) had visual acuity less
than 3/60 in the affected eye at the time of presentation. The majority (95.7%)
of the patients did not accept the recommended surgical treatment option
because of financial incapacitation. Conclusion: Macular hole is a
disease of marked visual consequence. Available treatment option is still not
within the reach of the majority because of the high cost.