David Ben Kumah

• BSc.(Hons) Biol. Scs.; P.G.C.E; PGDip. Optom.; MSc.(HSPM); OD.
• Head of Department at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Abstract Background Vision loss is a major public health concern that significantly affects developing countries, including South Africa. Although existing literature have reported on the prevalence, causes, and impact of vision loss on the quality of life of affected individuals (children and adults) in parts of South Africa, there is no evidence...

Background Psychological distress in vision impairments and blindness is a complex issue and a major public health concern. Sudden adjustments in routine lifestyle and career aspirations in such persons culminate in and/or aggravate their level of stress. Yet, psychological distress in persons with visual difficulties and vision loss in South Afric...

Background Job satisfaction describes an employee’s motivation and/or feeling of satisfaction towards his/her work. Globally, healthcare professionals’ turnover and retention play a critical role in the delivery of essential health services. In Ghana, however, little has been done to ascertain job satisfaction levels among human resources for eye-h...

Purpose: Keratoconus has been widely studied in Asian and Western countries with varying prevalence estimates reported. However, there is very limited information on keratoconus in Ghana and Africa. Till date, there is only one study on the profile of keratoconus in Ghana. This study sought to estimate the occurrence rate of keratoconus in Ghana....

Objective: Diabetes is a chronic disease of uncontrolled blood sugar levels. People with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing visual impairment and other diabetes-related visual complications. The study aims to determine the eyecare utilization pattern and its associated determinants among diabetics in the South African National Health...

Amblyopia is a developmental ocular disease of childhood-onset which may lead to persistent sequelae into adulthood. Early detection and management of amblyopia usually result in an improved visual outcome. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of amblyopia in a rural hospital in Ghana. Clinical records of patients s...

Abstract Background Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) is a leading cause of evaporative Dry Eye Disease (DED). This makes non-invasive meibography an important procedure in the clinical evaluation of DED patients. Our purpose was to conduct a lead-off investigation focused on the practicality of performing meibography in a developing country, with...

Background: 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 cro...

Background Almost every aspect of human life can be affected negatively as a result of visual impairment. Availability of eye care services also play a role in effective use of eye services. This study was conducted to determine the factors that influence the compliance to eye care services among members of staff of KNUST. Methods This study was a...

Purpose : Very little information is known about the incidence of dry-eye disease (DED) in developing countries in contrast to industrialized populations. Some studies have largely related DED in those areas to vitamin A deficiency and infectious diseases (Trachoma). However, as many developing countries have recently transitioned (some still trans...

Projectors and projection screens have become basic and indispensable teaching aids in modern societies, and in particular, tertiary institutions. This study sought to investigate the effect of viewing distance and illumination on visual performance whilst working from a projection screen. The study, which was conducted in two lecture rooms, involv...

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of ocular conditions and investigate safety practices among auto mechanics at ‘Suame –Magazine’ area in the Kumasi metropolis. Methods: A cross-sectional study across five randomly chosen zones of auto mechanics was carried out. A hundred and fifty (150) auto mechanics (mean age of 34.4 ± 1.2 years) were sampled...

Dry eye disease (DED) is an increasingly significant clinical problem in developing countries and/or emerging economies. Existing studies on DED conducted in these areas have largely reported on associations between DED and infectious disease (trachoma) and malnutrition (hypovitaminosis A), but current trends of industrialization, urbanization, and...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of manifest hyperopia in a population of Ghanaian high school students. Methods: A total of 662 students from 12 different high schools were examined (344 males and 318 males, aged 15-19years, mean age 16.9±3.5) in this population-based cross-sectional study. The examination comprised m...

The study aimed at determining the prevalence of myopia, the age and gender distribution of myopia, and the number of students who show symptoms of myopia in Senior High School students in the Kumasi metropolis. Method: A total of 662 students aged 14-20 years were randomly screened from12 different Senior High schools in this descriptive cross-sec...

To investigate which of two tunnel incision forms (frown versus straight) in sutureless manual small incision cataract surgery creates more corneal astigmatism. Sixty eyes of 60 patients who had consented to undergo cataract surgery and to partake in this study were followed from baseline through >12-week postoperative period. Values of preoperativ...

Objective: Ergonomically designed workstations have direct bearing on the comfort and safety of office computer users. Tremendous usage of computers in most offices of emerging economies have however, not seen accompanying applications of ergonomics in the design of computer workstations despite the numerous benefits. Injuries and discomforts there...

Objective: The aim was to obtain interpupillary distance (IPD) measurements of students in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study will provide a database for manufacturers of spectacle frames and optical equipment with Ghana as the target population. The IPD is a crucial measure that needs to be considered before frames can be selected for patients who h...

The aim of the study was to report postoperative corneal and surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) in patients with preoperative against-the-rule (ATR) astigmatism who underwent superior approach manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS). 58 eyes of 58 cataract patients with preoperative ATR astigmatism were involved in this study. All patients...

Introduction: Studies in other parts of the world show refractive error as a notable cause of visual impairment. Ghana is not an exception to these findings. Objective: This study focused on determining the types and prevalence of refractive errors among administrative staff of selected senior high schools in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. Methods...

Objective: The aim was to obtain interpupillary distance (IPD) measurements of students in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study will provide a database for manufacturers of spectacle frames and optical equipment with Ghana as the target population. The IPD is a crucial measure that needs to be considered before frames can be selected for patients who h...

This study attempted to determine the prevalent eye conditions among singed-hide butchers at the Kumasi abattoir (slaughterhouse) in Ghana. A cross-sectional study comprising 80 conveniently chosen singed-hide butchers at the abattoir was conducted. History taken from participants included participants' demographics and ocular and occupational hist...

Background: Vision is critical for daily activities and sight is treasured by all. Eye diseases and disorders such as uncorrected refractive errors, cataract, glaucoma and retinopathies, tend tomar normal vision. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of ocular conditions, their association with age and gender and the commonest associated symptoms ex...

Background: There seems a preponderance of hospital-based studies on the prevalence of Allergic Conjunctivitis (AC) compared to community-based ones, particularly among children in Ghana and Africa as a whole. Meanwhile, literature supports the possibility of underdiagnosing AC in the hospital setting; exponentially so when males generally have po...

The aim was to determine the prevalence of obesity and overweight among students in the Kumasi metropolis. In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 500 students aged 10 to 20 years were examined from two junior high schools selected by multistage sampling technique and three randomly selected senior high schools. Height and weight were measured in a...

This study sought to determine the prevalence of accommodative dysfunctions among Junior High School students in the Sunyani Municipality in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. All the 204 students who were present in the randomly selected Junior High School on the day of the data collection participated in the study. The eye examinations performed on...

Background: Many ocular conditions when detected at an early age such as basic school age through vision screening are amenable to interventional measures. Despite this, there are no eye screening programs for school children in Ghana. Objective: The study set out to determine the prevalence of ocular morbidity among basic school children in the Kw...

The study aimed to determine the prevalence of eye diseases among women engaged in the local extraction of palm kernel oil in the Kumasi Metropolis. A cross-sectional study was carried out in five women groups purposively sampled. A total of 150 women were sampled. History taken from the women included participants’ demographics and ocular and occu...

To assess the prevalence of refractive error and visual impairment in private school children in Ghana. A random selection of geographically defined classes in clusters was used to identify a sample of school children aged 12 to 15 years in the Ashanti Region. Children in 60 clusters were enumerated and examined in classrooms. The examination inclu...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of radiations on the ocular health of welders and to determine the prevalence of ocular diseases among them in the Kumasi metropolis. In this study, 470 welders (test group) and 450 non-welders (control group) at Suame “Magazine” in the Kumasi metropolis were enrolled for the study. Methods e...

Presbyopia if uncorrected causes inability to see and do near work. It is unavoidable as one ages. High school teachers whose work depends much on near work need proper and adequate correction of their presbyopia to increase effectiveness and efficiency. The aim was to determine the uptake of correction and prescription for presbyopia of presbyopic...

Fuel wood smoke is known to be associated with a number of ocular diseases such as cataract, pterygium and dry eye syndrome amongst others. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 290 kitchen staff in senior secondary schools in the Kumasi metropolis to identify the type of fuel and cooking stoves used and the ocular pathologies affe...

The study sought to discuss the management of refractive errors and low vision among basic school children in the Atwima district. A sample of 1,177 public basic school children aged between 5-19 years was randomly selected from ten basic schools for examination. Thirteen key informants in the district were purposively selected from the Ghana Educa...