The Dangers of Couching in Southwest Nigeria
- Author:
Isawumi Michaeline Asuquo
;
Hassan Mustapha Busuyi
;
Kolawole Olubayo Umar
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
awareness;
cataracts;
complications;
policy
- From:Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences
2014;21(5):60-65
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The need to highlight the dangers to the eye and visual status in couching has become necessary in order to discourage its patronage. This was a bi-center clinic-based prospective descriptive study about new cases of couched eyes which were seen over a two-year period. Oral interviews, eye examinations, refractions, and perimetry tests were used to obtain the information. SPSS version 16 was used for the descriptive analysis. Twenty-five patients and 30 eyes of 15 (60%) males and 10 (40%) females were studied. The age range was 34–90 years with a mean age of 67.87 years (SD 11.27). Presenting versus (vs) corrected visual acuity (VA) for normal vision was 6.7% vs 23.3%, visual impairment was 16.7% vs 26.3%, and blindness was 76.7% vs 50%. A significant number still remained blind after corrections (P = 0.014). The most common presenting complaint was “poor/blurred vision” in 24 (80.4%) and the most frequent duration of couching before presentation was 7–12 months (46.7%). Subjects with a cup:disc ratio > 0.6 had intraocular pressures (IOPs) of > 21 mmHg, and 50% of those patients had IOP > 40 mmHg (P = 0.001). Glaucoma (13.3%) and corneal opacity/retinal detachment/couching maculopathy/optic atrophy (10%) were the most common complications.
Couching causes visually-disabling complications, and is therefore strongly condemned. Increasing public awareness and putting a policy in place for affordable and accessible cataract services in government hospitals would gradually phase out its patronage.
