{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,24]],"date-time":"2026-10-24T01:47:35Z","timestamp":1792806455349,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784160000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Else Kr\u00f6ner-Fresenius-Stiftung Foundation through the HM-KNUST Low Vision Project","award":["2022_EKHA.141"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022_EKHA.141"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Eye diseases constitute a major public health challenge globally, with a disproportionate burden borne by populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Prison populations represent a uniquely vulnerable group characterized by restricted access to healthcare, overcrowding, poor nutrition, and high-risk environmental conditions \u2014 all of which substantially elevate the risk of eye diseases. Despite individual country-level reports documenting elevated rates of eye disease among incarcerated persons in SSA, no synthesis of the evidence has been conducted. This systematic review and meta-analysis protocol aims to consolidate existing evidence on the prevalence of eye diseases among prison inmates across SSA.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The protocol has been developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines to ensure rigor, transparency, and reproducibility. We will search major databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL (via EBSCO), PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online, using controlled vocabularies without date or language restrictions. Risk of bias and study quality will be assessed using standard critical appraisal tools. The completed review will follow the PRISMA reporting checklist and where appropriate, a meta-analysis will be conducted to generate pooled estimates, with subgroup analyses to explore sources of heterogeneity and country-level variations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Given the eye\u2019s role as a non-invasive window into systemic and overall health, findings from this review may inform evidence-based screening strategies and support policy reforms aimed at improving ocular and general health care in prison settings.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Study protocol registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:ext-link>https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/PROSPERO\/view\/CRD420261389357<\/jats:ext-link>\n                      , identifier (CRD420261389357).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1882529","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T20:15:06Z","timestamp":1784232906000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Prevalence of eye diseases among prison inmates in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Josephine","family":"Ampong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emmanuel Tettey","family":"Doku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Werner","family":"Eisenbarth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Applied Science and Mechatronics, HM Hochschule M\u00fcnchen University of Applied Sciences","place":["Munich, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eric Tettey","family":"Ashong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kwesi","family":"Sewe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Ghana Library System, University of Ghana","place":["Accra, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bismark Beesi","family":"Coffie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kelvin Oppong","family":"Kyeremateng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isaiah","family":"Osei Duah Junior","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]},{"name":"Department of Psychology, John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University","place":["Greensboro, NC, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Albert Kwadjo Amoah","family":"Andoh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David Ben","family":"Kumah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hornametor Yao","family":"Afake","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Eye Care Unit, Ghana Health Service","place":["Accra, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kwadwo Owusu","family":"Akuffo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology","place":["Kumasi, Ghana"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e130","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(20)30425-3","article-title":"Trends in prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment over 30 years: an analysis for the global burden of disease study","volume":"9","author":"Bourne","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet Glob Health"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1080\/09286586.2025.2474654","article-title":"Prevalence of blindness and visual impairment in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020: magnitude and temporal trends. 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