Analyzing relationships and distribution between age, sex, and eye disease at IGMCH eye OPD

This study analyzes the patient demographics in an ophthalmology department at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH), an Indian government hospital. We hypothesized data collected from IGMCH patients would reveal relationships between both age and biological sex at birth and reveal the prevalence of specific eye conditions. Specifically, we expected that the sex distribution would be mostly equal across eye conditions, while the age distribution would differ based on condition. Knowing these relationships would help medical facilities better allocate finite resources, leading to better patient care. We used data from 670 patients collected by doctors between June 19th and July 12th, 2023. There was equal male and female distribution overall, while the distribution of individual eye conditions had more variance. Of the conditions, 30.15% were lens-related. Refractive errors were evenly split between sexes (p=0.385), while cataracts predominantly affected male patients. Among patients with retinal disorders, 60.67% were male (p=0.338). Of conjunctiva patients, 57% of were female (p=0.347). Patients over 40 constituted 71.79% of the total patients. Those suffering from cataracts, retinal disorders, and glaucoma tended to be older patients. Refractive error and conjunctiva patients had more consistent age distribution. However, all relationships were statistically insignificant with p-values >0.05, except for cataract patients ages 50–89, who showed significant differences with a p-value <0.001. We advocate for more studies like this one to be undertaken, as the more data is available and analyzed, the more information there is to help medical facilities allocate their resources and provide better treatment.