Studies on the prevalence of blindness in Ethiopia: a protocol for the systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION Blindness refers to a lack of vision and/or defined as presenting visual acuity worse than 3/60 in the better eye. Its highest proportion has been conforming to the developing countries such as Ethiopia. So, timely information is crucial to design strategies. However, the study on the magnitude of blindness in Ethiopia was outdated, that means it was conducted in 2005-2006. Therefore, this protocol has been proposed to estimate the pooled prevalence of blindness in Ethiopia to provide up-to-date, comprehensive evidence on this theme. METHODS AND ANALYSIS The following databases will be used to search articles: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and retrieving references. Standard data extraction approach will be employed and presented using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale quality assessment tool will be used to evaluate the quality of studies. Analysis will be held using STATA V.11. Funnel plot and Egger's regression test will be applied to check for the potential sources of bias. Heterogeneity among the studies will be tested using Higgins method in which I-2 statistics will be calculated and compared with the standard. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis will be done to identify the potential sources of heterogeneity. Cross-sectional and survey studies conducted in Ethiopia and published in English language will be included. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethics approval and consent are not required. On completion, the result will be submitted to a reputable peer-reviewed journal.