{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T10:27:38Z","timestamp":1786703258741,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786665600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vision"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This study aimed to identify the factors associated with self-reported visual difficulty and uptake of spectacle\/contact lens correction among women of reproductive age in Malawi. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of the 2024 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey data. Outcomes were self-reported visual difficulty and use of spectacles\/contact lenses. Age, residence, region, education, and marital status were examined as associated variables. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Chi-square tests, multinomial and binary logistic regression models were used to assess associations. Results: The analysis included 5634 women aged 15\u201349 years; 78.3% lived in rural areas, and 62.4% had primary education. Self-reported visual difficulty was significantly associated with region, age, residence, education, and marital status (all p \u2264 0.004). Reported use of spectacle\/contact lenses was also associated with these factors. Increasing age was associated with higher odds of reporting \u201csome difficulty\u201d seeing (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.06\u20131.09). Compared with women in the Southern region, those from the Northern (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5\u20132.9) and Central regions (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2\u20132.1) had higher odds of reporting visual difficulty, with stronger associations for \u201ca lot of difficulty\u201d in the Central region (OR 4.3, 95% CI 2.1\u20138.6). Urban residence was associated with higher odds whereas being married\/living together, divorced\/separated, or widowed was associated with lower odds. Conclusion: Self-reported visual difficulty and use of spectacles\/contact lenses varied by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Targeted strategies to improve access to affordable eye care may reduce barriers to uptake of corrective services and reduce visual impairment among women in Malawi.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vision10030053","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T09:04:01Z","timestamp":1786698241000},"page":"53","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Seeing Inequalities: Self-Reported Visual Difficulty and Eye Care Utilization Among Women in Malawi, a Secondary Analysis of the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey Data"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2814-2727","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Selassie","family":"Tagoh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand"},{"name":"Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia"},{"name":"Department of Optometry, Faculty of Science, Bindura University of Science Education, Bindura Private Bag 1020, Zimbabwe"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9343-8006","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eugene Buah","family":"Enimah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, FI-70210 Kuopio, Finland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2998-9301","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Obed Sarpong","family":"Adusei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Family Medicine Unit, Obuasi Seventh-Day Adventist Hospital, Obuasi BH\/99\/A, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8229-8036","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Susarah Maria","family":"Richter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1072-315X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael Agyemang","family":"Kwarteng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Optometry, Faculty of Science, Bindura University of Science Education, Bindura Private Bag 1020, Zimbabwe"},{"name":"Centre for Vision Across the Life Span, Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1610","DOI":"10.1016\/j.visres.2010.10.020","article-title":"Aging and Vision","volume":"51","author":"Owsley","year":"2010","journal-title":"Vis. 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