Abstract
BackgroundResearch exploring children's and their teachers' perceptions of eye health is lacking. This paper reports for the first time on perceptions of primary schoolchildren and their teachers of healthy and diseased eyes, things that keep eyes healthy and damage them, and what actions to be taken in case of an eye injury.MethodsUsing draw and write technique, 160 boys and girls (9–12 years old) attending four primary schools in Abbottabad district, northern Pakistan, were invited to draw pictures in response to a set of semi-structured questions and then label them. Sixteen teachers who were currently teaching the selected students were interviewed one-on-one.ResultsAnalysis of text accompanying 800 drawings and of the interview scripts revealed that most children and teachers perceived healthy eyes to be those which could see well, and diseased eyes to be those which have redness, watering, dirty discharge, pain, and itching; or those which have "weak eyesight" and blindness. Among things that students and teachers thought damage the eyes included sun, television, and sharp pointed objects, particularly pencils. Teachers noted that children with eye problems "have difficulty seeing the blackboard well", "screw up their eyes", and "hold their books too close".ConclusionWe conclude that schoolchildren and their teachers had a good knowledge of eye health, but many of them had serious misconceptions e.g., use of kohl, medicines and eye drops keeps eyes healthy. Kohl is an important source of lead and can reduce children's intelligence even at low blood levels. Health education in schools must take into account children's existing knowledge of and misconceptions about various aspects of eye health. Such steps if taken could improve the relevance of eye health education to schoolchildren.
Highlights
Research exploring children's and their teachers' perceptions of eye health is lacking
Right to Sight – a global initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners to substantially reduce the burden of blindness and visual impair
Pakistan has been classified by the WHO as a country with severe sub-clinical vitamin A deficiency in parts or whole of the country [9], and studies conducted in different areas of Pakistan show that 32–43% children under 5 have deficient serum vitamin A levels [10,11]
Summary
Research exploring children's and their teachers' perceptions of eye health is lacking. This paper reports for the first time on perceptions of primary schoolchildren and their teachers of healthy and diseased eyes, things that keep eyes healthy and damage them, and what actions to be taken in case of an eye injury. In areas endemic for vitamin A deficiency and trachoma, the WHO recommends early detection of these diseases in schools, and health education concerning their prevention and treatment [6]. An estimated 100 million children (less than 5 years of age) have vitamin A deficiency [7], and 150 million children have active trachoma. Almost 50 % of Pakistan's total population of around 154 million are children [8], but nationally representative data on childhood eye diseases are lacking. Trachoma is endemic in parts of the country [12]
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