Correlation between presbyopia, age and number of births of mothers in the Kumasi area of Ghana.

There is an assumption in Ghana that motherhood has an effect on presbyopia. This study thus attempts to correlate the relationship between presbyopia, age and number of births of mothers in the Kumasi area of Ghana. The data were compiled from records of patients who attended routine eye examinations and refraction tests at the Morny Optical Centre, Kumasi, during the last quarter of 1993. Presbyopia in males and females, and those of mothers and childless female adults for particular age groups were compared. Correlations were found between age and reading additions for both sexes, and presbyopia occurs at a younger age than published. This preliminary study does not indicate any inter-dependence of births on female presbyopia. Further studies with select data may be required to confirm the above findings.