Several barriers to accessing hospital care have been shown to cause high patronages at free medical outreaches. The main aim of this study was to determine the causes of ocular morbidities seen at medical outreaches as a tool to advocate for structured community Primary eye care services in the State and Country. It was a retrospective cross sectional study, using data obtained from community medical outreaches in Ogun State between October 2016 and September 2019. Data from 6135 participants were analyzed with an age range of 21 years to 98 years and 69.1% females. The most prevalent Ocular morbidities were Errors of Refraction (50.9%) followed by Cataract, Ocular allergies and Glaucoma accounting for 16.7%, 16.5% and 8.6% respectively.75.3% of participants had visual acuity of at least 6/18 while severe visual impairment was caused mainly by dense cataract, End stage Glaucoma, Retinitis pigmentosa, macular hole and Proliferative Diabetic retinopathy. Refractive errors and cataracts were the most prevalent ocular morbidities in the study communities with significant visual impairment amongst participants. There is a need for early detection and treatment of ocular diseases via provision of a structured Primary eye care services in each community.
Keywords:Community, Medical, Nigeria, Ocular morbidity, Outreaches