{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T20:48:19Z","timestamp":1767991699339,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":11,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767916800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Glaucoma, an irreversible blinding eye disease caused by optic nerve damage, remains a major public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where it occurs earlier and progresses more aggressively than in other regions. Accessibility and affordability remain major barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To assess the ability of community health workers (CHWs) without prior ophthalmic training to use portable diagnostic tools for early detection and referral of possible glaucoma cases in Abuja, Nigeria.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This feasibility study was conducted from June to September 2024 in three community health centres in Abuja. Fifteen CHWs (14 females, 1 male) were trained over 3\u202fdays using didactic lectures, practical demonstrations, and hands-on sessions on four portable devices: PEEK Acuity, iCare tonometer, Eyecatcher visual field analyser, and Remidio handheld fundus camera. Pre- and post-training assessments were conducted, with an 80% pass mark required. A simplified scoring system based on test findings guided referral decisions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>All CHWs achieved scores of 80% or higher post-training, showing significant improvement in glaucoma knowledge and testing proficiency. Initial challenges with the iCare tonometer and fundus camera improved with practice.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Community health workers can effectively use portable diagnostic tools for glaucoma screening and referral in primary care settings. Their involvement could enhance early detection and contribute substantially to reducing glaucoma-related blindness in resource-limited settings.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1740419","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T15:29:06Z","timestamp":1767972546000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Glaucoma detection training of community healthcare workers using portable devices in Nigeria"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Farouk","family":"Garba","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Winifred","family":"Nolan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Matthew J.","family":"Burton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Victor H.","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ajefu Rose","family":"Ada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kenneth","family":"Ezurike","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Micheal Ochefu","family":"Ajefu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fatima","family":"Kyari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"i37","DOI":"10.1093\/inthealth\/ihab062","article-title":"Primary eye care: opportunities for 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glaucoma","volume":"311","author":"Weinreb","year":"2014","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"815","DOI":"10.1097\/IJG.0000000000002273","article-title":"Glaucoma treatment patterns in sub-Saharan Africa","volume":"32","author":"Olawoye","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Glaucoma"},{"key":"ref8","first-page":"27","article-title":"The lancet Global Health Commission on global eye health: key findings","volume":"34","author":"Bassett","year":"2021","journal-title":"Community Eye Health"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"717","DOI":"10.1097\/IJG.0000000000002068","article-title":"Clinical characteristics and stage at presentation of glaucoma patients in sub-Saharan Africa","volume":"31","author":"Olawoye","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Glaucoma"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.4314\/gmj.v48i3.4","article-title":"Presentation of glaucoma in the greater Accra metropolitan area of Ghana","volume":"48","author":"Gyasi","year":"2014","journal-title":"Ghana Med J"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1080\/09286586.2019.1661499","article-title":"Severity of visual field loss at first presentation to Glaucoma clinics in England and Tanzania","volume":"27","author":"Jones","year":"2020","journal-title":"Ophthalmic Epidemiol"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1740419\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]],"date-time":"2026-01-09T15:29:07Z","timestamp":1767972547000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1740419\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]]},"references-count":11,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1740419"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1740419","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]]},"article-number":"1740419"}}