Causes of Sudden Dimness of Vision: A Retrospective Study at the University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Nigeria

Aim: To determine the causes of sudden dimness of vision at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital. Awka, Nigeria.

Methods: This is a retrospective hospital-based survey carried out at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital Awka, Nigeria. The case notes of new patients seen at the Eye Unit of the hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were examined. Those with a history of sudden dimness of vision were identified and relevant data were extracted and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: A total of 3755 new patients were seen during the study period, of which 191 (5.1%) presented with sudden dimness of vision. Three people had bilateral lesions making a total of 194 involved eyes. Of the 191 patients, 101(52.9%) were male while 90 (47.1%) were female (M: F ratio 1.1:1). The age range was 1 year to 84years, and the mean and median age were 40.2years and 34years respectively while the bimodal age distributions of 30years and 60years (7patients each) was noted. The age range of 21-30years presented more cases of sudden vision loss at 37 (19.4%).

Generally, ocular injuries were responsible for more sudden dimness of vision 102 (53.4%), with contusion being the highest 31 (16.2%) of the traumatic diagnosis. Non-traumatic causes were responsible for 89 (46.6%) sudden dimness of vision. Forty-one eyes (21.1%) had visual acuity of 6/9 – 6/18, 85 (44%) had visual acuity of 6/18-3/60, while 68 (35.8%) presented with visual acuity of <3/60.

Conclusion: Sudden dimness of vision is a serious concern to the affected and relations. The causes are divers and may be traumatic or non-traumatic, with the traumatic type in the majority. Traumatic types of sudden dimness of vision are more common in younger age groups than older adults, and males sustain more traumatic sudden dimness of vision than in female folks. Avoiding trauma-risky tasks, applying safety measures, and adequately managing existing systemic morbidity may mitigate the trend.