COMMON OCULAR DISORDERS AND CAUSES OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT - EXPERIENCE AT A PRIVATE EYE CENTER IN RIYADH, SAUDI-ARABIA

Background: There is a paucity of data concerning the prevalence of co mmon ocular disorders among patients attending private eye clinics in Saudi Arabia. Objectives: To report the frequencies of different ocula r diseases seen in a private eye centre in Riyadh and to determine the causes of visual loss in these patients. Methods: Over a period of 6 months, the authors in a prospective case study evaluated 1388 patient s attending a private eye centre in Riyadh for their ocular status. Re sults: A total of 635 (45.8%) patients had conjunctivitis, 466 (33.6%) had refractive error, 30 (2.2%) had amblyopia, 20 (1.4%) had glaucoma , 20 (1.4%) had vernal keratoconjunctivitis, 30 (2.2%) had active trac homa, and vitreo-retinal disorders were found in 14 (1.0%) patients. F orty-four (3.1%) patients had visual impairment. This was caused by re fractive error and cataract. Blindness was found in 26 (1.9%) patients and was only due to cataract. Conclusion: Private eye centres have a great sharing role to play in earlier detection and proper management of ocular disorders in order to reduce the rate of visual impairment a nd blindness.