Publications by authors named "Asha Latha Mettla"
Transforming Households with Refraction and Innovative Financial Technology (THRIFT): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of vision interventions and online banking among the elderly in Kurigram.
BMJ Open
December 2024
Introduction: Presbyopia, difficulty in seeing close-ups, affects a billion people globally. Mobile financial services (MFS) have been mandated since January 2021 for Bangladesh government social safety net payments, including old age allowance (OAA) and widow allowance (WA). We report the protocol for the Transforming Households with Refraction and Innovative Financial Technology randomised trial assessing the impact on the use of online banking of providing presbyopic safety net beneficiaries with reading glasses, and brief smartphone and mobile banking app training.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death globally for people aged 5-29 years, with 90% of mortality occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The STABLE (Slashing Two-wheeled Accidents by Leveraging Eyecare) trial was designed to determine whether providing spectacles could reduce risk among young myopic motorcycle users in Vietnam.
Methods: This investigator-masked, stepped-wedge, cluster randomised naturalistic driving trial will recruit 625 students aged 18-23 years, driving ≥ 50 km/week, with ≥ 1-year driving experience and using motorcycles as their primary means of transport, in 25 clusters of 25 students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Objectives: This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the ocular outcomes of universal eye screening in newborns and assess the relationship between different perinatal risk factors and various ocular abnormalities in infants who do not meet the criteria for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening.
Methods: An universal eye screening questionnaire was utilised to screen newborn babies who did not meet the ROP screening criteria within 72 h of birth at a public and private hospital between June 2016 and April 2018. The questionnaire covered demographic characteristics, neonatal history, and eye examination findings.
Purpose: To assess the changing trends in barriers towards accessing eye care in a rural population cohort from Southern India.
Methods: This is a population-based longitudinal cohort of participants (the Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease study [APEDS]) from three rural regions of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh who were evaluated at baseline (APEDS I; 1996-2000), along with follow-ups at 10 years (APEDS II; 2009-10) and 15 years (APEDS III; 2012-2016). At follow-up, all participants 30 years and above were administered a structured questionnaire on barriers to uptake of eye care services.
Background: To report 15-year incidence rate of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in the Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS).
Methods: A population-based longitudinal study was carried out at three rural study sites. Phakic participants aged ≥40 years who participated at baseline (APEDS I) and the mean 15-year follow-up visit (APEDS III) were included.
Purpose: Undetected vision impairment (VI) could negatively affect the overall development in children. School vision screening program is a viable and cost-effective approach for the early identification and management of VI.
Aim: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of VI, its risk factors, and ocular morbidity among school children in Telangana, South India.
Background: To report the 15-year incidence rate of pseudo-exfoliation (PXF), PXF glaucoma and regional variation among rural participants in the Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS) III.
Methods: This population-based longitudinal study was carried out at three rural study sites. Individuals of all ages who participated at baseline with a mean 15-year follow-up visit were included.
Purpose: Addressing childhood vision impairment (VI) is one of the main goals of the World Health Organization's (WHO) combating blindness strategies. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of VI, causes, and its risk factors in school children in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Methods: Children aged 4-15 years were screened in schools using the 6/12 Snellen optotype by trained community eye health workers, and those who failed the test and those reported or found to have obvious eye conditions were referred to primary (VC), secondary (SC), or tertiary (TC) care centre appropriately, where they underwent a complete eye examination including cycloplegic refraction and fundus examination.
Purpose: To report on the 15-year incidence of primary angle closure disease (PACD) among participants aged ≥40 years in rural southern India DESIGN: Population-based longitudinal incidence rate study METHODS: Setting: 3 rural study centres.
Study Population: Phakic participants aged ≥40 years who participated in both examination time points.
Observation Procedures: All participants at the baseline and at the mean 15-year follow-up visit underwent a detailed interview, anthropometry, blood pressure measurement, and comprehensive eye examination.
Purpose: Screening preschool children for vision-related disorders poses a challenge. This study is designed to determine the agreement and diagnostic accuracy of the spot vision screener (SVS) in screening preschool children compared to screening procedure by vision technicians (VT).
Methods: This study was conducted as a part of the ongoing study titled "Initiative for Screening Children for Refractive Errors and other Eye Health Needs (I-SCREEN).
Purpose: To report 15-year incidence rate of visual loss (blindness and visual impairment [VI]), causes, and risk factors for participants in Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study III (APEDS III).
Design: Population-based cohort study.
Methods: From 2012 to 2016, all rural participants were interviewed and underwent a comprehensive eye examination, including dilated fundus examination and imaging.
Purpose: To report 15-year incidence rate and associated risk factors of pterygium among people aged 30 years and above at baseline in the rural clusters of longitudinal Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS III).
Methods: The baseline APEDS I included 7771 participants of which 6447 (83%) were traced and 5395 (83.7%) were re-examined in APEDS III.
Objective: To examine barriers to the uptake of referral services from secondary care centres to higher level tertiary care centres.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: Secondary care hospital in Khammam District in the Telangana state of India.
Background: To compare the agreement and diagnostic accuracy of vision screening conducted by trained community eye-health workers (CEHWs) and teachers with reference to vision technicians in Movva Mandal (sub-district) in Krishna District in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Methods: As part of a large epidemiological study on visual impairment in children, vision screening was conducted in all the schools in a sub-district. The children were screened using a screening card with 6/12 tumbling E optotypes by trained CEHWs, teachers and a vision technician.
Background: The rationale, objectives, study design and procedures for the longitudinal Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study are described.
Design: A longitudinal cohort study was carried out.
Participants: Participants include surviving cohort from the rural component of Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study.