Incidence of the refractive errors in children 3 to 9 years of age, in the city of Tetovo, Macedonia

Abstract

Abstract Objective To determine the incidence of refractive errors at children 3 to 9 years of age in the area of Tetovo, Macedonia in rural and urban population. Methods Population-based cross-sectional samples of children 3 to 9 years in rural and urban population were obtained through full ophthalmologic examination, and they underwent slit-lamp examination, ocular motility and refraction. They were presenting uncorrected and best-corrected visual acuity, along with refractive error under topical cycloplegia. Children 3 to 6 years of age with a visual acuity of 20/40 or worse and those 6 to 9 years of age with a visual acuity of 20/30 or worse underwent a complete ophthalmic examination to determine the cause of visual impairment. A spherical equivalent of -0.5 diopter (D) or worse was defined as myopia, +2.50 D or more was defined as hyperopia and a cylinder refraction greater than 0.75 D was considered astigmatism plus or minus. Results The uncorrected visual acuity was 20/45 or worse in the better eye of 119 children, 59 male / 60 female (5.1% of participants). According to results of cycloplegic refraction, 1.6% of the children were myopic, 7.3% were hyperopic and the incidence rate of astigmatism was approximately 0.7%. In the multivariate logistic regression myopia and hyperopia were correlated with age ( P = 0.040 and P Conclusions The study showed a considerable prevalence rates of refractive errors myopia, hypermethropia, astigmatism and amblyopia at children of 3-9 years of age in Tetovo. There was no correlation between sex of the children's and the refractive errors founds. There was a correlation with the need for corrective spectacles and the refractive errors they represent. Refractive errors was registered in high percentage at rural area than in urban area. Although with best corrected vision the prevalence of impairment was less in urban than in rural populations, blindness remained nearly twice as high in the rural population as in the urban population with both baseline and best corrected visual acuity.