Accessibility and challenges to ophthalmic instruments acquisition among optometry students in Ghana

This study aimed to investigate the factors that influence the acquisition of personal ophthalmic instruments (POIs) among optometry students in Ghana. Participant characteristics and patterns of ophthalmic instrument acquisition were collected using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the relationships between factors influencing POI acquisition.

Overall, 60.2% of students did not have their own ophthalmic instruments. Slightly more than one third (39.8%) owned a POI that was primarily an ophthalmoscope. Multiple logistic regression showed that financial difficulty (AOR: 0.45, CI: 0.29-0.71, p = 0.001), and lack of access to reliable information on instrument quality (AOR: 0.26, CI: 0.10-0.66, p = 0.005) were significantly associated with lower odds of POI acquisition. About 63.3% of students cited financial difficulty as the main barrier to POI acquisition. The findings call for cost adjustments by stakeholders and increase awareness to optimize POIs acquisition among students. Taken together, the findings aim to improve clinical training and reduce disparities in optometry education among optometry students in Ghana.