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Peer-reviewedCC BYFrontiers in Medicine

Burden, spectrum and associated factors of ocular disease among incarcerated populations in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Josephine Ampong1
  • Isaiah Osei Duah Junior1
  • Isaiah Osei Duah Junior2
  • Bismark Beesi Coffie1
  • Kelvin Oppong Kyeremateng1
  • Emmanuel Tettey Doku1
  • Eric Tettey Ashong1
  • Kwesi Sewe3
  • Loretta Addo-Danso4
  • Albert Kwadjo Amoah Andoh1
  • David Ben Kumah1
  • Hornametor Yao Afake5
2 more authors
  • Werner Eisenbarth6
  • Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo1
6 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
  2. 2Department of Psychology, John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, United States
  3. 3University of Ghana Library System, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
  4. 4Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
  5. 5National Eye Care Unit, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana
  6. 6Department of Applied Science and Mechatronics, HM Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences, Munich, Germany
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Abstract

BackgroundOcular morbidity remains poorly characterized among prisoners; this systematic review and meta-analysis quantified its prevalence, spectrum and associated factors across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).MethodsThis review followed a published Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Protocols (PRISMA-P) and searched eight databases using prespecified terms, with study selection guided by PRISMA. Data were standardized and synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis to estimate pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with heterogeneity assessed using I2 and sensitivity and condition-specific analyses used to assess variation.ResultsSix studies comprising 3,361 participants from four SSA countries, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of ocular morbidity was 43.1% (95% CI: 12.4–77.1%; I2 = 99.2%). Conjunctivitis was the most prevalent condition (23.9%; 95% CI, 10.7–40.1%), followed by refractive error (19.5%; 95% CI, 12.5–27.5%) and presbyopia (18.6%; 95% CI, 5.2–37.7%). Cataract (7.4%), glaucoma (5.6%) and corneal scar or opacity (3.0%) were less prevalent. Age >50 years (OR = 11.96; 95% CI, 5.31–26.94) and a history of ocular trauma (OR = 5.21; 95% CI, 1.52–17.87) were associated with higher odds of ocular morbidity. Longer imprisonment was associated with xerophthalmia (OR = 20.1; 95% CI, 8.3–48.8%), whereas access to food from outside prison was associated with lower odds of ocular morbidity (OR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.26–0.79).ConclusionOcular morbidity affects approximately four in ten prison inmates in SSA, with much of this burden preventable or treatable, despite considerable between-study heterogeneity and limited geographical evidence. Collectively, these findings support integrated prison eye care and standardized research to advance equitable interventions across SSA.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ampong2026burden,
  title = {{Burden, spectrum and associated factors of ocular disease among incarcerated populations in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis}},
  author = {Josephine Ampong and Isaiah Osei Duah Junior and Isaiah Osei Duah Junior and Bismark Beesi Coffie and Kelvin Oppong Kyeremateng and Emmanuel Tettey Doku and Eric Tettey Ashong and Kwesi Sewe and Loretta Addo-Danso and Albert Kwadjo Amoah Andoh and David Ben Kumah and Hornametor Yao Afake and Werner Eisenbarth and Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo},
  journal = {Frontiers in Medicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fmed.2026.1969779},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1969779},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Burden, spectrum and associated factors of ocular disease among incarcerated populations in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
AU  - Josephine Ampong
AU  - Isaiah Osei Duah Junior
AU  - Isaiah Osei Duah Junior
AU  - Bismark Beesi Coffie
AU  - Kelvin Oppong Kyeremateng
AU  - Emmanuel Tettey Doku
AU  - Eric Tettey Ashong
AU  - Kwesi Sewe
AU  - Loretta Addo-Danso
AU  - Albert Kwadjo Amoah Andoh
AU  - David Ben Kumah
AU  - Hornametor Yao Afake
AU  - Werner Eisenbarth
AU  - Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
JO  - Frontiers in Medicine
DO  - 10.3389/fmed.2026.1969779
UR  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1969779
AB  - BackgroundOcular morbidity remains poorly characterized among prisoners; this systematic review and meta-analysis quantified its prevalence, spectrum and associated factors across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).MethodsThis review followed a published Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Protocols (PRISMA-P) and searched eight databases using prespecified terms, with study selection guided by PRISMA. Data were standardized and synthesized using random-effects meta-analysis to estimate pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with heterogeneity assessed using I2 and sensitivity and condition-specific analyses used to assess variation.ResultsSix studies comprising 3,361 participants from four SSA countries, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of ocular morbidity was 43.1% (95% CI: 12.4–77.1%; I2 = 99.2%). Conjunctivitis was the most prevalent condition (23.9%; 95% CI, 10.7–40.1%), followed by refractive error (19.5%; 95% CI, 12.5–27.5%) and presbyopia (18.6%; 95% CI, 5.2–37.7%). Cataract (7.4%), glaucoma (5.6%) and corneal scar or opacity (3.0%) were less prevalent. Age >50 years (OR = 11.96; 95% CI, 5.31–26.94) and a history of ocular trauma (OR = 5.21; 95% CI, 1.52–17.87) were associated with higher odds of ocular morbidity. Longer imprisonment was associated with xerophthalmia (OR = 20.1; 95% CI, 8.3–48.8%), whereas access to food from outside prison was associated with lower odds of ocular morbidity (OR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.26–0.79).ConclusionOcular morbidity affects approximately four in ten prison inmates in SSA, with much of this burden preventable or treatable, despite considerable between-study heterogeneity and limited geographical evidence. Collectively, these findings support integrated prison eye care and standardized research to advance equitable interventions across SSA.
SN  - 2296-858X
ER  -