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Objective: To identify practice and pattern of self-medication use among new patients in ophthalmology clinic in a suburban community.

Background: Self medication is a common practice all over the world. When consumers self-medicate without first consulting the eye care giver, issues of safety and inappropriateness of use arise.

Methods: A cross sectional, analytic and questionnaire based study of 470 consecutive patients seen between April and June 2011 in a tertiary eye care centre in Nigeria was conducted. Data were analyzed using SPSS and p value< 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The mean age was 43±24 years with a M: F ratio of 1: 1.3. There was utilization of an initial medication in 73.6%(346) of the respondents before presentation. Of the group that utilized medication, 108 (31.3%) could neither mention name nor show sample of medication used. Only 14.9% of patients consuming nonprescription drugs sought assistance from any health professional regarding proper selection or use. Majority (73.6%) of the patients got their medication following assistance sought from retail outlets of non-prescription medicine, friends, relations or self prescription. The utilized medications were inappropriate in 90% of the respondents who utilized them. The most common symptoms necessitating the utilization of initial medication were blurring of vision and itching.

Conclusion: There was a high rate of self medication with blurring of vision and itching as the commonest complaints among the patients. There is still a very low incidence of preventive eye care in terms of ophthalmic check-up among our people.