Epidemiological profile of an ophthalmic care campaign in Goiás

Abstract

Background: the FaegSenar in Action is a program which professionals from Fundação Banco de Olhos de Goiás provide free eye care to population. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the campaign’s reach and the epidemiological profile of the assisted population. Methods: an observational cross-sectional and descriptive research that analyzed the reports of assessments provided in 2018 at several cities in the state of Goias. This research’s data items studied were: number of patients, city of residence, gender and the reason of assistance. Results: 9.969 medical assessments were performed in 22 cities. The female patients were the main group of this population (60,87%). The reasons for looking for ophthalmic assistance were: refractive errors (60,30%), eye care information (26,74%), lens disorders (6,65%), pterygium (2,48%), glaucoma (1,35%), retinal diseases (1,28%), corneal disorders (0,51%), strabismus (0,31%), oculoplastic disorders (0,19%), ocular urgencies (0,11%) and neuro-ophthalmology conditions (insignificant percentage). Conclusion: the present study adds to existing epidemiological data, regarding the major female population and the higher prevalence of refractive errors and lens disorders in ocular care. Knowing the chief complains and eye care disorders in a territory helps to improve public resources management and strategies aimed to reduce and control vision loss and blindness.