Barriers to the provision of clinical low-vision services among ophthalmologists in Nigeria

Objectives: To identify the perceived barriers to the provision of clinical low-vision service among ophthalmologists in Nigeria, with a view to proffering measures for their removal. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of ophthalmologists attending the Annual Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria Congress in September 2005 was conducted. Using self-administered questionnaires, information relevant to low-vision practice and the perceived barriers to the provision of low-vision services was garnered. Results: Eighty-three (70.9%) ophthalmologists out of 117 eligible participants at the congress responded to all of the questions and returned the study questionnaires. Non-availability of low-vision devices within the country (88%), lack of training in low-vision care (73.5%), lack of public awareness of low-vision care and its practitioners (60.2%), and the ophthalmologists' preoccupation with general ophthalmic practice (56.6%) were cited as the major barriers. With regard to the fellows and the residents in training, there was a statistically significant difference in their perception of two of the investigated barriers, namely, that low-vision care is not lucrative (T value: 4.46; 95% CI: 0.16±0.07) and low-vision care is time-consuming (T value: 2.05; 95% CI: 0.145±0.14). Conclusion: Training in low-vision care should be provided within the country for interested relevant personnel at all levels. Moreover, low-vision devices should be made accessible and available to the practitioners. There is a need in Nigeria for widespread health education/awareness campaigns in low-vision care, targeted primarily at ophthalmologists, allied eye-care providers, and the general public. There is a need to include low-vision practice in the curriculum of the ophthalmology residency program in Nigeria. Further qualitative research may need to be conducted to explain the differences in responses between subsets of the study population. Copyright © Informa Healthcare.