A cross sectional study on refractive error among school children aged 6 to 17 years in Chennai, India

Abstract

Background: Blindness due to refractive error is a substantial public health problem in many parts of the world. Refractive error would become the second largest cause of treatable blindness after cataract. Refractive error is the most common and avoidable causes of visual impairment. Screening programs need to be implemented to detect individuals suffering from refractive error. Early diagnosis and treatment is the simple and most effective measure to prevent refractive error blindness. The current study was designed to estimate the Prevalence of refractive error among school children. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 1720 school children of 6- 17 years age group in Chennai. The sample size was estimated by the prevalence of refractive error as 20%, alpha error 5% and relative precision 10% of refractive error. School children were screened for defective vision with the help of Snellen’s chart. Results: Total of 1720 children was examined; 49.7% were boys and 50.3% were girls. The overall Prevalence of refractive error was 20.9% and the 95% Confidence interval was found to be 19.9% to 20.9%. The Prevalence of refractive error among boys was 10.8% and in girls was 10.1%. The difference in refractive error among male and female children was small and the difference was found to be statistically insignificant (p>0.05). Conclusions: Refractive error is the most common and avoidable causes of visual impairment. Uncorrected refractive error can affect their learning. So, early detection and intervention can improve child’s potential tremendously during the formative years.