Optometrists’ perceptions of vision impairment services in public hospitals of Limpopo province

Abstract

Background: Vision impairment (VI) services aim to mitigate the effect of VI and provide opportunities for visually impaired individuals to actively participate in their daily activities.

Objectives: To determine optometrists’ perceptions regarding VI services in public hospitals within Limpopo province, South Africa.

Method: A descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted between January and August 2023 across 37 public hospitals, using a structured questionnaire. Data obtained from the participants’ responses were analysed to describe the level of VI services.

Results: The study sample included 65 optometrists with 71% female, yielding a response rate of 83%. Over 90% of the participants were aware of the World Health Organization definition of VI. The majority of participants (54%) reported referring patients with VI to a hospital multidisciplinary team, while less than 50% provided optimal spectacle correction. The main barriers to providing VI services were: the lack of assistive devices (97%), and equipment (95%), poor access (80%), insufficient space (66%), and the lack of training (66%). The primary barriers to the uptake of VI services were the lack of awareness (86%) and the cost of VI services (80%).

Conclusion: The provision of VI services in Limpopo province is currently limited. The factors contributing to the limited VI services are avoidable; therefore, efforts to enhance the availability of equipment, access and provision of comprehensive VI services are crucial to improving the quality of life for affected individuals utilising public hospitals in Limpopo province.

Contribution: The study describes the optometrists’ perceptions of VI services in public hospitals.