Abstract
Background: Refractive error (RE) and visual impairment (VI) remain major problems affecting school-going children worldwide.Aim: To determine the prevalence and distribution of VI and RE in school-going children aged 6–18 years.Setting: The study was conducted in Sekhukhune District, Limpopo, South Africa.Methods: A multistage random sampling method was used to select school-going children aged 6–18 years from Grades 1 to 12. A total of 326 learners went through eye examinations, which included visual acuity (VA) measurement using a logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution chart, autorefraction under cycloplegia and ocular health assessment.Results: The prevalence of uncorrected, presenting and best-corrected VA of 0.30 M or worse in the better eye was 12.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.70–15.80), 12.3% (95% CI, 8.70–15.80) and 2.1% (95% CI, 0.60–3.70), respectively. Refractive error accounted for 80% (95% CI, 67.6–92.4) of all causes of VI. Myopia was the most prevalent RE (50.7%; 95% CI, 38.8–62.7), followed by astigmatism (36%; 95% CI, 24.3–47.3) and hypermetropia (13.6%; 95% CI, 5.30–21.6). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of RE and VI between males (50.7%; 95% CI, 38.8–62.7) and females (49.3%; 95% CI, 37.3–61.2). Refractive error and VI were higher amongst children aged 14–18 years: 56.7% (95% CI, 44.9–68.6) and 60% (95% CI, 44.8–75.20), respectively.Conclusion: The prevalence of RE and VI amongst school-going children in Sekhukhune District was high, highlighting the need for school visual screening and strategies to address these conditions in that area.
Highlights
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has made a call to all nations to prioritise the management of refractive error (RE) and visual impairment (VI) as they are the second leading cause of avoidable blindness globally.[1]
In some instances, RE remains uncorrected for a variety of other reasons including inaccessibility and unaffordability, which further contributes to the statistics on VI
The prevalence of RE differs from region to region, with the highest prevalence in the Asian populations, where China has a prevalence of 20.6%,6 followed by India with 10.2%,7 Saudi Arabia with 18.6%8 and Vietnam with 19.4%
Summary
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has made a call to all nations to prioritise the management of refractive error (RE) and visual impairment (VI) as they are the second leading cause of avoidable blindness globally.[1]. Uncorrected refractive error (URE) and VI remain a major problem affecting school-going children worldwide, and this has broader social and economic negative impacts.[4]. Hashemi Hassan et al.[5] recently indicated that globally, 11.7% of children are myopic, whilst a further 4.6% and 4.9% have hypermetropia and astigmatism, respectively.[5] the prevalence of RE differs from region to region, with the highest prevalence in the Asian populations, where China has a prevalence of 20.6%,6 followed by India with 10.2%,7 Saudi Arabia with 18.6%8 and Vietnam with 19.4%.9. Several studies conducted in Chile, the United States and Cambodia reveal RE prevalence values of 18.79%,10 13.1%11 and 6.5%,12 respectively. In Africa, Ghana had an RE prevalence value of 3.7%,13 Nigeria 11.5%,14 Ethiopia 6.3%,15 Egypt 2.2%16 and South Africa 7.1%, as shown in Table 1.17 The African continent has shown a comparatively low http://www.avehjournal.org. Refractive error (RE) and visual impairment (VI) remain major problems affecting school-going children worldwide
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