Eye Health Seeking Behavior among Staff of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Back ground: There has been an assumption that in developing countries people in need of eye care services will seek them if they are made available. This study was conducted to determine the eye health seeking behavior among members of staff of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey. One hundred and fifty-one (151) members of staff [aged 21 to 73 years, mean (±SD) 39.23 (±11.46)] were selected by convenient sampling for the study. Respondents were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Results: Ninety-six (63.6%) of the 151 respondents had ever checked their eyes or had had eye examination whiles 55 (36.4%) had never sought eye care. In terms of the frequency with which they received eye care, the survey showed that only 66 (68.8%) of those who have sought eye care had their last eye examination within the recommended interval of 3 years. Of those who have had an eye exam, 3.1% were unable to identify whether they had received their care from an ophthalmologist, optometrist, ophthalmic nurse or a general practitioner. Of those who could identify their eye care provider (n=93),Optometrists provided majority of the eye care accounting 53.7% and general practitioners provided the least (2.2%). Of the 96 respondents who reported having had an eye examination, they had different attitudes towards seeking treatment the last time they had eye problems. Conclusion: On average, the utilization of eye care services in this study is considered to be good, being 63.6% amongst the respondents even though less than half of the population met the recommended frequency of eye examination within the past 3 years. Results of this study indicate that a considerable proportion of the studied population had never utilized eye care services; even those at risk and in need of eye care visits. Keywords: Eye Health; Utilization; Behavior; Frequency; Examination Attitudes; Abbreviations: NHIS (National health insurance scheme