Causes of Blindness in the Adult Population in Somalia

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the causes and frequency of blindness among the adult Somali population according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of 2,605 patients over 18 years old who presented to our tertiary hospital in Mogadishu (the capital of Somalia) were evaluated. Patients with best corrected visual acuity of less than 3/60 in both eyes were categorized as bilaterally blind and those with best corrected visual acuity of less than 3/60 in one eye but 3/60 or better in the other eye were classified as monocularly blind, as per the WHO classification. RESULTS: Of 2,605 patients, 1,251 (48%) were female and 1,354 (52%) were male. Among these, 256 patients were determined to have blindness in one or both eyes and were included in the study. The patients ranged in age from 19 to 85, and the mean age was 52.4±14.6 years. The overall blindness rate in the Somali population was 9.8%. In the monocularly blind group, the most common factor was trauma complication (23.6%), followed by cataract (19%) and diabetic retinopathy (13.2%). In the bilaterally blind group, the most common factors were cataract (26.9%), diabetic retinopathy (21.1%), and glaucoma (15.4%). CONCLUSION: Trauma is the leading cause of blindness due to the security conditions in the country. Establishing and increasing the number of free public health centers in Somalia can reduce the frequency of blindness.