Characteristics of Visual Impairment and the Impact of Low Vision Assessment in a Tertiary Academic Hospital in Jordan

PURPOSE: This project aims to describe the characteristics of patients with visual impairment referred from a tertiary academic hospital in Jordan for a comprehensive low vision evaluation and to study its impact on their functional needs. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the records of 108 patients from the ophthalmology clinic at Jordan University Hospital over the period from January 2014 to December 2018 was performed. Gathered information included age, gender, clinical diagnosis, family history of ocular disease, and type of low vision aid prescribed and its impact on patients’ functional needs. RESULTS: The mean age was 44.64 years (range 4–88). Most participants were in the 19–60 years age group (50.0%). Fifty percent of the participants were the offspring of consanguineous marriages. The main cause of visual impairment in this cohort was retinitis pigmentosa, followed by diabetic retinopathy. The majority of low vision aids were prescribed for near distance tasks, and reading spectacles were the most prescribed visual aid. Eighty-nine percent of patients reported functional improvement and retained their visual aids upon follow-up. CONCLUSION: Retinitis pigmentosa was the main cause of visual impairment in this cohort of patients referred from a tertiary academic hospital for low vision assessment. We report a consanguinity rate of 50%. The overwhelming majority of patients reported functional improvement and retained their visual aids upon follow-up. Awareness and integration of low vision services into a multidisciplinary approach and improving referral protocols is essential to better address the needs of patients with visual impairment. Familial counselling regarding consanguineous marriages and emerging research to treat inherited retinal diseases should be pursued.