DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i07.027

Pages: 2568-2573

Refractive Error (RE) is a common cause of visual impairment among school children in low and middle income countries which has been confirmed by a series of studies conducted during the last decade. Aims of the study were to study the prevalence and determinants of refractive errors in male and female children aged 9 – 14 years. This study also compares with similar studies worldwide for commonality and inferences which show that prompt detection and appropriate correction can reduce the visual morbidity due to amblyopia. This was a cross sectional study on 1460 school children of 9-14 years age group in two private schools of Puducherry and Villupuram. Students were screened for defective vision with the help of Snellens’ chart and pin hole test. An optometrist confirmed the findings. Comprehensive ocular examination was done by an ophthalmologist for those who did not improve with spectacles. Data was analyzed to understand prevalence of refractive errors in children. Data analysis was done with the Chi-square / Fischer Exact test. Results were as follows. 53.6% of the study population were boys and 46.4% were girls. The prevalence of refractive error in school children was 7.46%. The prevalence of myopia, hypermetropia and associated astigmatism in children were 6.85%, 0.61%, 1.64% respectively. Children 12 to 14years attending urban schools were most likely to have uncorrected myopia. To conclude, the prevalence of uncorrected refractive error, especially myopia, was high in school children. Regular ophthalmic screening of school children is recommended and collective responsibility is the strategy.