Eye Health Conditions of the Elderly: A Case Study of Retired Government Officials at Khon Kaen University
Keywords:
elderly, eye health, retired government officer, Khon Kaen UniversityAbstract
Background and Objective: The elderly people experience a natural decline in health, making preliminary health check-up crucial for planning prevention and treatment strategies. The objective of this study is to assess the ocular health of retired government officers from Khon Kaen University.
Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized purposive sampling to select retired government officers from Khon Kaen University. The study included a morning session on “Elderly Eye Health Awareness” and an afternoon session for eye examinations, during which general health histories were gathered from patients and recorded in OPD cards for 59 participants, taking 5–30 minutes per each and was conducted on March 1, 2024, in the ophthalmology examination room of Srinagarind Hospital. The research tool was a data collection from derived OPD cards categorized by disease, gender, age and congenital disease, taking 10 minutes per each. The study was carried out over five months (March-July 2024). Descriptive statistics and percentages were used for data analysis. Pearson's chi-squared test and Fisher’s exact test were employed to assess correlation.
Results: Most of the elderly participants were aged 66-70 years (35.60%) with females comprising 72.88%. Ocular assessment revealed that cataracts were the most prevalent eye condition (41.27%), followed by dry eye syndrome (15.87%). Regarding general health, dyslipidemia was the most common condition (25.76%), followed by hypertension (18.18%). There is not statistically significant between ocular diseases and underlying diseases.
Conclusions: The most common eye health problem among the elderly is cataracts. This study found no correlation between eye health issues and underlying chronic diseases in the elderly. However, due to the limitations of this research, it is recommended to conduct a power analysis prior to future studies to ensure an adequate sample size group.
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