Building the Optometry Workforce in Somalia: A Strategic Approach to Preventing Avoidable Blindness and Expanding Access to Vision Care.
Conjunctivitis was the most common eye condition found in Somali eye-care patients screened.
Building the Optometry Workforce in Somalia: A Strategic Approach to Preventing Avoidable Blindness and Expanding Access to Vision Care.
Somalia faces a substantial burden of avoidable eye disease, while access to primary eye-care services remains uneven and optometry training capacity is limited.
This study was conducted as a retrospective review of routine service data from 2,890 patients evaluated during community- and hospital-based eye-care programs at Dr.
Conjunctivitis was the diagnosis in over 4 in 10 patients examined.
Other ocular conditions accounted for the remaining cases (n=605; 20.9%).
Comorbid conditions included glaucoma with IOP >21 mmHg (n=176; 6.1%), diabetes (n=116; 4.0%), hypertension (n=98; 3.4%), and diabetic retinopathy (n=14; 0.5%).
Treatment modalities consisted of medical therapy (n=1,789; 61.9%), prescription spectacles (n=595; 20.6%), surgical procedures (n=457; 15.8%), and referrals (n=64; 2.2%).
The findings indicate a high burden of preventable and treatable eye conditions and support the need for a structured optometry workforce in Somalia.
We propose a three-component implementation framework: (1) workforce training (optometry and optical-technician education), (2) decentralized service delivery with referral pathways, and (3) sustainable multi-sector partnerships to expand access to vision care and strengthen long-term eye-care service delivery.