Prevalence, causes and associated factors of visual impairment and blindness among older population in outreach site, Northwest Ethiopia. A dual center cross-sectional study

Purpose: The study aimed to determine the prevalence, causes, and associated factors of visual impairment and blindnessamong the older population in Outreach sites, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-outreach-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 821 older population which were selectedusing a systematic random sampling technique. Face-to-face interviews and ocular examinations were performed to collect thedata. A binary logistic regression was performed. Result: A total of 821 participants were recruited for the study with a median age of 57 years, with a range of 40-91 years. Outof 821 participants, 41.8% had visual impairment, and 11.7% were blind. Sixty-four and fifty seven percent of visual impairmentand blindness were caused by cataract. Age ≥70years (AOR=15.0; 95%CI: 8.4-26.9), rural residency (AOR=2.3; 95%CI: 1.5-3.6),non-formal education (AOR=3.0; 95%CI: 1.6-5.6), unemployed (AOR=1.5;95%CI:1.05-2.4) and history of eye examination(AOR=1.7;95%CI:1.1-2.8) were positively associated with visual impairment. Similarly, blindness was significantly associatedwith age ≥ 70years (AOR=7.2; 95%CI: 3.1-16.6), rural residency (AOR=2.2;95%CI:1.2-4.2), and history of eye examination(AOR=1.9; 95%CI: 1.1- 3.3). Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness in this study was found to be high. Age, residency, educationalstatus, occupational status, and history of eye examination were significantly associated with visual impairment and blindness. Keywords: Visual impairment; blindness; older population; Northwest Ethiopia.