Original Article July 02, 2025 July 02, 2025

Clinical and epidemiological profile of patients at an ophthalmology outpatient clinic

DOI: 10.37039/1982.8551.20250041

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To outline the profile of ophthalmology patients at an ophthamological outpatient clinic to know the local demands, as well as the more specific necessities of investment in eye health.

Methods:

Cross-sectional, observational and retrospective study carried out with a survey of 1,942 medical records in the years 2022 and 2023 that analyzed the following aspects using the Chi square test, Shapiro-Wilks (N≥100) and comparison between the data by ANOVA: ophthalmological diagnosis, average, sex, presence of chronic diseases, follow-up.

Results:

Overall average age of 49.6 ± 21.3 years, with a prevalence of females in 2022 (56.2%), 2023 (61.3%) and overall (59.4%). There was a higher prevalence of the answer “No” for the presence of chronic diseases in the years 2022 (53.9%), 2023 (53.8%) and in general (53.8%) and a higher prevalence in outpatient follow-up for all analyses; however, the “Yes” answer for chronic diseases was related to higher rates of surgical follow-up, referrals, and returns. The most prevalent previous pathologies found were hypertension, DM and hypothyroidism. Among the diagnosis found in the service, there were refractive errors (52.7%), cataracts (22.4%), glaucoma (8%) and macular degeneration (5.6%).

Conclusion:

The findings of this study confirm the expected demands for an outpatient service and hope, with its results, to contribute to national statistics and the management of local hospital resources.