STUDY OF PREVALENCE AND PATTERN OF REFRACTIVE ERRORS AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN (7-15 YRS) IN URBAN SCHOOLS(PEELAMEDU)

Abstract

PURPOSE- TO STUDY THE PREVALENCE AND
PATTERN OF REFRACTIVE ERRORS AMONG SCHOOL
CHILDREN (7-15 YRS) IN URBAN SCHOOLS IN
PEELAMEDU. MATERIALS AND METHODS- WE DID A
CROSS SECTIONAL AND TIME BOUND STUDY IN WHICH
RANDOM CLUSTER SAMPLING AMONG STUDENTS IN 8
SELECTED SCHOOLS WERE EXAMINED FOR VISUAL
IMPAIRMENT.THEY WERE THEN EXAMINED IN OUR
OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT AND REFRACTION WAS
DONE AND BEST GLASSES WERE PRESCRIBED.
RESULTS- A TOTAL OF 2400 CHILDREN AGED 7 TO 15
YRS UNDERWENT VISION SCREENING. OUT OF WHICH
1411 WERE MALES AND 989 WERE FEMALES.AN UNAIDED
VISUAL ACUITY OF 6-6(P) OR WORSE WAS
PRESENT IN ONE OR BOTH EYES IN 324 CHILDREN. THE
TOTAL PREVALANCE OF DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF
REFRACTIVE ERROR WAS 13.5 PERCENT.IN OUR
STUDY 144 CHILDREN (44.4PERCENT) WERE HAVING
ASTIGMATISM, 109 CHILDREN(33.65PERCENT) WERE
HAVING MYOPIA AND 71 CHILDREN (22.01PERCENT)
HAD HYPERMETROPIA.IN OUR STUDY ABOUT 106
CHILDREN HAD VISUAL COMPLAINTS AND 184
CHILDREN WERE WITHOUT ANY COMPLAINTS BUT
HAVING REFRACTIVE ERROR AND 34 WERE ALREADY
HAVING GLASSES. FEMALES (58.34PERCENT ) HAD
MORE INCIDENCE OF ASTIGMASTISM COMPARED TO
MALES (41.66PERCENT) AND COMMONEST TYPE OF
ASTIGMATISM FOUND IN THE STUDY IS COMPOUND
MYOPIC TYPE (31.25PERCENT). AMONG THE
DEFECTIVES THERE WAS NO CORRELATION FOUND
WI T H T H E S O C I O E C O N OM I C S T A T U S .
CONCLUSION-SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF CHILDREN
OF THIS AREA HAD UNCORRECTED REFRACTIVE
ERROR.INCIDENCE OF AMETROPIA WAS MORE IN
FEMALES.ASTIGMATISM WAS THE COMMONEST TYPE
OF REFRACTIVE ERROR OF WHICH COMPOUND
MYOPIC ASTIGMATISM WAS THE MAXIMUM.THERE WAS
NO CORRELATION WITH ECONOMIC STATUS.MOST OF
THE CHILDREN AND PARENTS WERE UNAWARE
ABOUT THE REFRACTIVE ERROR AND MOST OF THEM
WERE DETECTED DURING THE SCREENING.
Keyword :refractive error, children, myopia, hypermetropia,
astigmatism