Epidemiology of red eyes in a teaching hospital in Ghana

Abstract

Objective: To determine the epidemiological characteristics and aetiology of red eyes in a teaching hospital in
Ghana.
Design: This was a retrospective hospital-based case study.
Materials and Methods: The files/ folders of new patients with red eyes during the study period were retrieved.
The epidemiological characteristics and diagnosis were perused and the relevant data extracted using a
structured questionnaire for each patient and the data was analysed.
Results: Nine hundred and six (47.09%) new patients who presented to the eye clinic had a red eye. There was
no statistically significant difference between males and females among new patients who presented with a
red eye and those who presented with other eye disease (p=0.75). Six hundred and seventy four (74.40%) new
patients with red eyes were below the age of 30 years and 521 (57.51%) were children and/or students (p<0.00).
The top 5 eye diseases that accounted for the red eye in our study were conjunctivitis (48.23%), ocular trauma
(39.85%); infective keratitis/corneal ulcer (5.96%), uveitis(3.42%) and scleritis (1.10%).
Conclusion: The red eye represented approximately 47% of all new patients that attended the Eye Clinic during
the study period and most of the causes were avoidable, preventable and/or treatable.