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Berhe Tesfai,1 Samuel Kebede,1 Fitsum Kibreab,2 Kahsay Fessehatsion,3 Sium Asmelash,4 Yohannes Guelay4 1Ministry of Health, Northern Red Sea Zone, Massawa Hospital, Massawa, Eritrea; 2Ministry of Health, Health Research and Resources Center Division, Asmara, Eritrea; 3Ophthalmologist, Ministry of Health, Berhan Ayni National Referral Hospital, Asmara, Eritrea; 4Ministry of Health, Medical Service Division, Northern Red Sea Zone, Massawa, EritreaCorrespondence: Berhe TesfaiMassawa Hospital, Northern Red-Sea Zone, Ministry of Health, Massawa, EritreaEmail berhetesfai04@gmail.comBackground: Everybody is exposed to ultraviolet radiation and the natural source of ultraviolet radiation is sunlight. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of solar keratopathy, pterygium and cataract and further to evaluate other factors that cause blindness to the inhabitants of the Northern Red Sea Zone islands of Eritrea.Methods: It was a community-based cross-sectional study of all people aged 40 years and above, with a census sampling method. Study participants were screened for presence of solar keratopathy and other ocular diseases, and data were collected by a checklist from March 20 to April 20, 2021. Data were entered on an Excel sheet and transported to SPSS version 21. Results were presented with frequencies and percentages and chi-squared bivariable analysis was carried. P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.Results: The prevalence of solar keratopathy and cataract was 19.6% and 15.8%, respectively. Pterygium (40%) and pinguecula (32.1%) were also commonly found in the community. Participants aged 70 years and above (P< 0.001), fishermen (P< 0.001), housewife (P< 0.001) and females (P< 0.001) had a higher rate of blindness. The prevalence of solar keratopathy was higher with increased age and work experience (P< 0.001). Fishermen and housewives had higher rates of solar keratopathy (44.6%) and cataract (30.2%), respectively, (P

Berhe Tesfai,1 Fitsum Kibreab,2 Abraham Dawit,1 Zemui Mekonen,1 Solomon Ghebrezghi,1 Senait Kefele1 1Medical Department, Massawa Hospital, Northern Red Sea Zone, Ministry of Health, Massawa, Eritrea; 2Health Research and Resources Center Divisiony, Ministry of Health, Asmara, EritreaCorrespondence: Berhe TesfaiMedical Department, Massawa Hospital, Northern Red Sea Zone, Ministry of Health, Massawa, EritreaEmail berhetesfai04@gmail.comBackground: Hypertension and diabetes are key determinants of cardiovascular risks. The objective of this study was to calculate 10-year incidence of cardiovascular risk, determine cardiovascular risk factors, and evaluate how diabetes and hypertension are controlled in patients in Massawa Hospital, Eritrea.Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study using census sampling. A checklist and interview were used as data-collection tool from October 10 to November 20, 2020. Written consent was obtained from each study participant before starting the study. Descriptive statistics were wasused, and results are presented in percentages in tables, p< 0.05 was considered significant.Results: A total of 600 patients were enrolled in the study, dominated by the Tigrigna (58.7%) and Tigre (26.7%) ethnic groups. About half the patients (58.8%) had a body-mass index of 18– 25 kg/m2, with abdominal circumference of < 95 cm (74%). Most (93.5%) patients had < 10% risk of cardiovascular complications in the coming 10 years. Age showed significant association with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular risk, and poor glycemic and blood-pressure control (p< 0.001). Body-mass index, abdominal obesity, and history of stroke were associated with hypertension and diabetes mellitus (p< 0.001). Moreover, smoking, hypertension, and monthly income were associated with higher cardiovascular risk (p< 0.001). In addition, hypertension and abdominal obesity were associated with glycemic control (p< 0.001), and blood-pressure