Eye health screening in migrant population: primary care experience in Lazio (Italy) from the PROTECT project

Italy is a natural corridor for entry into Europe, receiving thousands of refugees and migrants needing socio-economic and health assistance yearly. Impaired vision due to eye disease is estimated to affect at least 2.2 billion people worldwide, especially in this underprivileged population. To overcome this deep disparity, new intervention strategies, such as the PROTECT project, were planned with the aim of assessing, in the context of the head–neck area, the eye health in vulnerable applicants and holders of international protection. A total of 3023 migrants were involved in the project. Demographic factors and eye history were collected using a questionnaire. Using portable diagnostic instruments, an eye screening including monocular visual acuity, intraocular pressure, anterior segment, and ocular fundus was performed. The mean age was 31.6 ± 13.1 years and more than 50% underwent the first eye evaluation. Vision impairment was claimed by 16.6% of subjects and the most frequent diseases diagnosed were: refractive errors (11%), strabismus (6%), red eye (6%), cataract (5.3%), and ocular hypertension (1%). Retinal alterations were observed in 5% of migrants. The PROTECT project allows us to increase the accessibility of head–neck disease prevention care. Moreover, our results confirm the utility of an eye screening assessment for early identification of the most relevant and preventable ocular diseases, especially in disadvantaged populations.