Prevalence Of Ocular Morbidity Research Articles

Prevalence of Childhood Dermatological and Ocular Morbidities: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Introduction: Screening many children within a certain age group for the presence of illnesses can be efficiently conducted through school surveys. This study aims to analyze the prevalence of dermatological and ocular morbidities in school children. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted in Government and Private schools of Latur, involving 500 school children aged between 5-14 years. Results: The prevalence of dermatological morbidities in our research was found to be 69%, with boys showing a prevalence of 50.6% and girls 18.4%. Prevalence of ocular morbidities was 7.6%, with boys showing a prevalence of 4.2% and girls 3.4%. Among dermatological manifestations, infections and infestations were the most observed (44%), followed by eczema (dermatitis) (13%). Refractive error was the most common ocular morbidity observed in boys (33.3%), followed by Vitamin A deficiency (28.57%). In girls, refractive error was the most common ocular morbidity (35.29%), followed by Vitamin A deficiency (29.41%). Conclusion: Urgent attention is needed to address these health issues early on to improve children's overall well-being. The findings contribute valuable insights for future research and targeted public health interventions aimed at promoting the health of school children.

Pattern of ocular morbidities among preschool children of Biratnagar Metropolis of Nepal

Introduction: Children use their vision to enhance motor skills, develop parent–child bonds, build picture perception, and gain balance. Children may enter school with vision problems. Sub-optimal vision can lead to poor academic performance, a lack of interest in school, and even dropping out. Objective: To evaluate the pattern of various ocular morbidities among preschool children of Biratnagar metropolis. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted from October 2020 -Jan 2021 among 393 study participants at 5 different preschools of Biratnagar using total enumeration sampling. Vision was assessed with Snellen's visual acuity charts and Kay Picture chart. Anterior and posterior segment examination was done using a hand-held portable slit lamp and a direct ophthalmoscope respectively. Binocularity was assessed with a cover test at a distance and near targets and the Hirschberg corneal reflex. The refractive status of the eyes was assessed by performing static retinoscopy. All the data was analyzed according to sex, age, causes of visual impairment and types of ocular morbidity. Results: Among the total 393preschool children screened, 169 children were boys and 224 were girls. The prevalence of ocular morbidity was found to be 20.1 %. Refractive error was the most common cause of visual impairment which was seen in 14.7% of children. The overall prevalence of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism was 7.9%, 4.8%, and 2.1% respectively. The other types of ocular morbidities were strabismus in 1.3%, congenital cataract in 1%, conjunctivitis in 1%, chalazion in 1.3%, vernal keratoconjunctivitis in 1% and congenital ptosis in 0.6%. Conclusion: The relatively high prevalence of refractive error and occurrence of other ocular morbidities in our studied population suggests that there is a need for a large-scale community-based preschool screening program in Nepal so that affected preschool children can be identified early and appropriate treatment can be promptly started.

A Hospital-based Survey on the Pattern of Ocular Diseases in Western Uttar Pradesh, India

Aims and Objectives: Ocular morbidities involve a spectrum of eye diseases that affect one’s quality of life. Therefore, in view of the importance of visual impairment and lack of precise information, the study was conducted to determine the prevalence of various ocular morbidities in patients attending an eye hospital in relation to demographic factors. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Gandhi Eye Hospital, Aligarh, from April 2018 to June 2019. The information regarding name, gender, residential address, marriage, and diagnosis were recorded. Chi-square test was applied to test the statistical significance. Results: A total of 812 individuals formed the study population. The majority of patients were from the age group 11–20 years. The prevalence of ocular morbidities was 54.1% among males and 45.9% among females. Conjunctivitis (22.5%), refractive errors (20.0%) and cataract (16.4%) formed more than 50% of ocular morbidities followed by strabismus (7.6%), corneal opacity (7.0%), glaucoma (5.9%), amblyopia (2.9%), Vit A deficiency (2.8%), blepharitis (2.8%), and ptosis (2.2%). Conclusion: The study reveals that conjunctivitis and refractive errors were the most common causes of ocular disorder among children and cataract was the most common cause of visual impairment among the elderly population. Since majority of the causes were either treatable or preventable, therefore health education activities and programs should be intensified.

Functional Ophthalmic Factors Associated With Extreme Prematurity in Young Adults

Children born preterm (<37 weeks' gestation) have a higher risk of visual impairment and ocular morbidities compared peers born at full term. However, the long-term ocular sequelae in adulthood for those born extremely preterm (EP), who have the highest risk of neonatal retinopathy, are unknown. To evaluate visual function and ocular morbidity in young adults born EP compared with controls born full term. This prospective cohort study of a geographically based birth cohort in the UK and Ireland born from March 1 through December 31, 1995, included 128 participants aged 19 years (born at 22-25 weeks' gestation) and 65 age-matched controls born at full term. Statistical analysis was performed from March 1, 2020, to November 26, 2021. Participants underwent eye examinations as part of a comprehensive outcome evaluation. Best-corrected visual acuity, refractive status, contrast sensitivity, color vision, prevalence of strabismus and nystagmus, and patient-reported visual function, measured using the Health Utilities Index Mark 3. The study comprised 128 participants (256 eyes; 68 female participants [53%]; mean [SD] age, 19.3 [0.5] years) and 65 age-matched controls born at full term (130 eyes; 40 female participants [62%]; mean [SD] age, 19.2 [0.5] years). Compared with control eyes, the mean (SD) best-corrected visual acuity among eyes in the EP group was significantly worse (monocular vision: -0.06 [0.14] logMAR in the control group vs 0.14 [0.38] logMAR in the EP group; P < .001; binocular vision: -0.14 [0.15] logMAR in the control group vs 0.06 [0.37] logMAR in the EP group; P < .001). Participants in the EP group had a significantly higher prevalence of strabismus (36% [46 of 127] vs 0%; P < .001), abnormal ocular motility (15% [19 of 125] vs 0%; P < .001), and nystagmus (13% [16 of 127] vs 0%; P < .001) than the control group. No significant differences between participants in the EP group and controls were observed for refractive error, contrast sensitivity, color vision, or patient-reported visual function. Among the participants in the EP group, 48% of eyes (120 of 250) had no retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), 39% (98 of 250) had ROP not requiring neonatal treatment, and 13% (32 of 250) received cryotherapy or laser ablation for ROP. Within the EP group, there was no significant difference in binocular visual function parameters, prevalence of ocular morbidity, and patient-reported visual function by neonatal ROP status. Extreme prematurity is associated with an increased prevalence of visual and ocular deficits in young adulthood; this study suggests that, for individuals born EP, visual and ocular deficits appear to be partially independent of ROP status in the neonatal period but reports similar overall visual function.

Burden of ocular morbidities and color blindness among school-attending children in a foothill town of Uttarakhand State.

Purpose:To estimate prevalence of common ocular morbidities including color blindness among school-attending children of an urban foothill town of Uttarakhand State in Northern India.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among school-going children of age group 6–16 years of standard I–XII. Schools were selected using population proportionate to the size sampling technique. Detailed ocular examination including color vision and unaided or aided visual acuity for various ocular morbidities was done. Data was entered into MS excel with statistical analysis using SPSS version 23 with significant P value <0.05.Results:In total, 13,492 students (mean age 10.9 ± 2.7 years) with almost equal male to female ratio were screened. Overall prevalence of ocular morbidity was 23.2%, with refractive error (18.5%) on top, followed by color blindness (2.2%). The later was observed more among males (3.0%) as compared to females (1.4%) with significantly higher odds, OR = 2.3 (1.7–2.9) (P < 0.001).Conclusion:Refractive error has been the most common ocular morbidity, followed by color blindness. Earliest detection can prevent permanent disability and disappointment among youngsters when rejected from entering certain professions due to color vision defect.

Ocular Morbidity among Patients Visiting the Department of Ophthalmology during the Coronavirus Disease 2021 Pandemic at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2021 pandemic and lockdown, eye care services have been compromised globally. The magnitude of ocular diseases across all populations in Nepal are few and far between and rare during this pandemic. This study was aimed to find out the prevalence of ocular morbidity among patients visiting the department of Ophthalmology of a tertiary care hospital during the pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the patients visiting the department of Ophthalmology of a tertiary care hospital from 18 August 2021 to 30 September 2021. Ethical clearance was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference: 078/079-023). Convenience sampling was done. Basic demographic data, clinical characteristics, visual status and prevalence of ocular morbidities were noted. Data entry was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage for binary data. Out of 650 study subjects examined, 454 (69.8%) (66-73.0 at 95% Confidence Interval) study subjects had at least one ocular morbidity in at least one eye. Refractive error 153 (33.7%) was the commonest ocular morbidity followed by headache 52 (11.5%), dry eyes 50 (11%), non-communicable diseases related ocular morbidity 41 (9%), and age related cataract 37 (8.1%). The prevalence of ocular morbidity in our study was higher than findings from other similar studies done at national and international levels, though the causes of ocular morbidity was similar.

A retrospective study to analyse the ocular morbidity in the slum-dwelling population of central India.

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of different ocular pathologies in theslum-dwelling population of central India and to find its correlations with socio-demographic factors.Methodology: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study in 84 slum areas across Bhopal,Jabalpur and areas in the vicinity using a camp-based approach during the study period of 3 years.A total of 15478 participants attended the camp, and of them, 6177 patients had variousophthalmological conditions. A detailed history was obtained, and participants were subjected to acomplete ophthalmological examination. Based upon their diagnosis, they were prescribedtreatment. Referral to the tertiary care centre was done when needed. Results: The prevalence ofocular morbidities was 39.9%. The most common ocular morbidity documented in our study wasrefractive errors (22.7%). Proportions of lid pathologies were significantly higher in patientsbelonging to less than ten years of age (36.4%). In contrast, refractive errors were observed inhigher proportions of patients belonging to more than ten years of age (p&lt;0.05). Pterygium ratiowas significantly higher in males, whereas ocular malignancies were higher in females (p&lt;0.05).Proportions of almost all the ocular morbidities were substantially higher in patients with lowsocioeconomic status (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of ocular morbidities in theslum population is high. The most common ocular morbidity includes refractive error and allergicconjunctivitis. These morbidities correlated with age, gender and socioeconomic status. Werecommend periodic screening of the slum population across all age range to prevent long termcomplications and disabilities.

Prevalence and factors associated with ocular morbidity among prisoners of Luzira prison (Uganda)

BackgroundGlobally, ocular morbidity has emerged as a major public concern with at least 2.2 billion people having vision impairment or blindness. Prisoners (inmates) tend to have limited access to health care especially eye health, and as a result some conditions may go undiagnosed or mismanaged. With the increasing prison population in Uganda and in the face of limited facilities, little is known about the prevalence and factors associated with ocular morbidity amongst inmates of Luzira prison.MethodThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on inmates of Luzira prison. The study included both male (334) and female (33) inmates using the proportionate stratified random sampling. Data on social demographic characteristics, medical, imprisonment factors and ocular assessment was collected using a questionnaire. All complete data was entered using an Epidata version 3.1 entry template, and logistic regression was used to determine associated factors.ResultsOverall, a total of 367 inmates were examined consisting of 334 (91%) males and 33(8.9%) females. The male-to-female ratio was 10:1 with ages ranging from 18 to 76 years. The mean age being 39 years (SD + 13.4) and the overall ocular morbidity was found to be 49%. The most common ocular morbidity included; presbyopia (27.4%), allergic conjunctivitis (19.6%) and cataracts (11.4%). Other disorders included; refractive errors, pterygia, optic atrophy and vitamin A deficiency. There was a statistically significant relationship between ocular morbidity and age (OR 11.96, CI 0.85–2.74), trauma (OR 5.21, CI 1.52–17.87), non-prison food (OR 0.45, CI 0.26–0.79).ConclusionThe prevalence of ocular morbidity among inmates was found to be high and significantly associated with age, trauma and having meals besides prison food. A fully functional eye unit established within the prison, and timely referral of complicated cases would help in offering quality eye services to the inmates.

Prevalence and patterns of childhood ocular morbidity in Kinshasa. A population-based study

ContextChildhood ocular disorders can seriously impact on development and education, future employment opportunities and quality of life, their consequences are especially severe in low resource settings. There is a lack of data on pattern and prevalence of ocular morbidities among children in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the pattern and magnitude of childhood ocular disorders in children in Kinshasa, the capital city of DRC. MethodsA population-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July to August 2017. Children aged less than 16 years old were screened by volunteers in households and those with ocular pathologies were examined by two ophthalmologists. Prevalence and pattern of ocular diseases were determined. ResultsA total of 4307 households were visited by the surveyors and 13,197 children were screened. Ocular pathologies were diagnosed among 399 children. Girls represented 50.7% of the children and the mean age ± SD was 9.2 ± 4.1 years. The overall prevalence of ocular morbidity in our population was 3.6% [95% CI 3.3–3.9]. Allergic conjunctivitis was the most frequent pathology (56.2%) followed by refractive errors (27.4%) and strabismus (5%). Age of children was the only risk factor with a significant impact on the frequency of ocular pathology. Forty-five percent of children had never benefited from any treatment, self-medication, and recourse to traditional treatments concerned respectively 18.%, and 2.3% of children. ConclusionChildhood ocular morbidity in Kinshasa city was dominated by allergic conjunctivitis and refractive errors. The frequency of these conditions varies depending on the age of the children. Very few parents consult medical staff when their children have ocular problems, ignorance and limited financial resources are the principal barriers to consult.

PATTERN OF OCULAR MORBIDITIES - A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY ON SCHOOL CHILDREN IN AMRITSAR, PUNJAB, NORTH INDIA.

This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and to make a comparison between the ocular morbidity pattern in school going children of government and private schools of urban area of Amritsar. A school-based cross-sectional study design was adopted to examine children aged 5–15 years in randomly selected government and private schools of Amritsar. The prevalence of ocular morbidity was 18.92% (16.29% government, 21.05% private). Refractive errors showed a signicantly higher prevalence (P &lt; 0.05%) in the private (19.94%) as compared to the government schools (14.91%). This study was the rst of its kind in Amritsar, it revealed that refractive errors, Squint, spring catarrh, seborrhoeic blepharitis and stye are important causes of ocular morbidities. Refractive errors were most common ocular disorder. The majority of the causes are either treatable or preventable. Ongoing school health program should be strengthened to reduce the prevalence of visual impairment due to refractive errors

Prevalence of ocular morbidities in pediatric age group at a tertiary care hospital: A cross sectional study

Ocular morbidities affecting the children result in a serious health and economic burden and negatively impacts their developmental milestones. This study was performed to assess the prevalence and pattern of ocular diseases, and to know the common causes of childhood blindness amongst the children aged 0-15 years.This was a single centre, cross-sectional observational study performed in the Department of Ophthalmology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Latur, Maharashtra, India and involved 380 children, aged 0-15 years, presenting with different ocular morbidities. The study was performed over a period of 18 months i.e., from January 2018 to June 2019. A detailed history and ophthalmic examination (consisting of visual acuity, color vision, refraction, cycloplegic refraction, anterior segment examination, fundus examination, and detection of squint) were performed to evaluate different ocular diseases.Majority of the cases were males (52.9%), and belonged to 11-15 years of age group (53.9%). Amongst all the presenting ocular complaints, diminution of vision (34.50%) followed by headache (9.20%), and itching in eyes (8.20%) were most prevalent. Majority of the cases had good visual acuity [(best-corrected visual acuity) &amp;#62;6/18, 65.50%]. While, severe visual impairment was observed in 2.90% cases. Refractive errors (31.60%) followed by allergic conjunctivitis (19.20%) were the most commonly observed ocular disorders. Moreover, myopia (43.33%) was the commonest refractive error. Similarly, amongst cases with ocular infection, most commonly observed condition was infective conjunctivitis (24.44%). Finally, congenital cataract (27.91%) and blunt ocular trauma (52.63%) were the most frequently observed congenital ocular disease and cause of ocular trauma respectively among children. Findings of this study highlight that the majority of the pediatric ocular morbidities are both preventable and treatable. However, efforts should be directed towards health education and screening programs in children.

Prevalence of ocular disorders with seasonal variations in Tertiary Care Hospital in South Punjab.

Objectives: To observe the Prevalence of Ocular Disorders with seasonal variations in South Punjab. Study Design: Observational descriptive study. Setting: Ophthalmology Department of Shahida Islam Teaching Hospital affiliated with Shahida Islam Medical College Lodhran, a tertiary care Hospital in south Punjab. Period: January 2018 to December 2018. Material &amp; Method: The case records of all consecutive patients seen at the outpatient department (OPD) of Shahida Islam Teaching Hospital, Lodhran from January 2018 to December 2018 were retrieved. The demographic data such as age and sex of the patients were noted. The patient data were collected from the OPD registers at the clinics and analyzed retrospectively. Results: A total of 14398 patients were examined out of which male were 46.3% and female were 53.7%. Ocular examination revealed that out of 14398 patients most common ocular morbidity is refractory errors followed by conjunctiva diseases and then lenticular disorders. Conclusion: Majority of ocular morbidity were either preventable or treatable. If detection is early in the course, prevalence of ocular morbidity can be greatly reduced.

Ocular Morbidity Among Persons with Diabetes in Enugu, Nigeria

The aim of this study is to determine the spectrum and prevalence of ocular morbidities among diabetics in a screening centre in Enugu, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on consenting diabetics who presented for screening. Socio-demographic data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Participants underwent eye examination including slit lamp examination of anterior segment and dilated posterior segment examination with 90DS lens. Identified ocular conditions were documented. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done; p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Eighty eligible diabetics were interviewed and screened; 41 (51.3%) males and 39 (48.7%) females. Mean age was 61.2 ± 11.1 years, and age range was 34–88 years. Fifty-nine (73.8%) had mild visual impairment, 12 (15.0%) moderate visual impairment, and 9 (11.3%) were blind. The commonest ocular morbidities were cataract 53 (66.3%), glaucoma 44 (55%), diabetic retinopathy 25 (32.1%), diabetic macular oedema 25 (32.1%), refractive errors 24 (30%), hypertensive retinopathy (17.9%), and age related macular degeneration (ARMD) (8.8%). The age group 60–69 years recorded the highest number of ocular morbidities; however, diabetic retinopathy was commoner in those > 70 years. ARMD was commonest in people with no formal education (p = 0.001). Several ocular morbidities could occur in diabetics, and conscious effort must be made to identify them and proffer timely adequate treatment.

Prevalence and profile of ocular morbidity in down syndrome children in a tertiary centre

Objective: To find out prevalence and profile of ocular morbidity in Down Syndrome children in a district early intervention centre of a tertiary centre. Study Design: A retrospective cross sectional study was conducted in DEIC of JNMCH, AMU, for a period of 2 1 2 years (March’ 17 – Aug’ 19). Materials and Methods: Complete ophthalmological workup was done for 55 patients of down syndrome in (0-16 years) age group. Result: Prevalence of ocular morbidity was 61.81% Peak prevalence (100%) was found in (13-16 years) age group Refractive error was commonest morbidity (30 %) followed by Strabismus (21%). Conclusion: Refractive error was the common est ocular morbidity Screening and early intervention in Down syndrome patients is utmost important because of high prevalence of ocular disorders. Keywords: Down syndrome, Screening.

Pattern of ocular morbidity in school children and its association with academic achievement

Background: Ocular morbidity describes any eye disease regardless of resultant visual loss. India is plagued by ocular morbidities in school going children. Refractive error is considered to be the major cause of visual impairment. The objectives of the present study were to compare the pattern of ocular morbidity in urban and rural school children, to study the association of academic achievement with ocular morbidity in study population and to suggest appropriate recommendations for addressing the problem of ocular morbidity in school children.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in the 9 primary and 5 junior high schools of field practice areas of Rural Health Training Centre and Urban Health Training Centre respectively, under Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh from September 2005 to August 2006.Results: Prevalence of ocular morbidity in the present study was 23.3%. Maximum prevalence of 28.7% of ocular morbidity was seen in the age group of 14-16 years. Prevalence of ocular morbidity was found to be 100 (51.6%) in males and 64 (40.1%) in females. 29.3% of the 164 school children having ocular morbidity showed poor academic achievement compared to 18.7% of the 541 children not having ocular morbidity and the association was found to be statistically significant.Conclusions: Refractive error was one of the major causes of ocular morbidity among school going children but most of them were of mild degree. Ocular morbidity was found to affect the academic achievement of school going children.

Study of ocular manifestations in tuberculosis and its association with HIV AIDS in a tertiary care hospital

ObjectiveTo assess and understand the prevalence and clinical presentation of ocular morbidity in patients suffering from tuberculosis and compare it with ocular involvement in patients coinfected with tuberculosis and HIV AIDS. Materials and methodsThis was a non-comparative, observational, cross sectional study done on 580 patients, who were diagnosed cases of tuberculosis, pulmonary or extrapulmonary, on or off treatment, visiting the Ophthalmology OPD, Tuberculosis OPD and ART Centre of the institute in the period from March 2015 to March 2018, screened for ocular morbidity. ResultsOut of 580, 408 patients had only tuberculosis and 172 had tuberculosis with HIV AIDS. 108 patients were found to have ocular involvement (18.6%) out of which 63 were males and 45 were females. The prevalence of ocular morbidity in patients with only tuberculosis was found to be 16.4% and in those having both tuberculosis and HIV AIDS was found to be 23.8%. ConclusionOur study concludes that posterior uveitis, pan uveitis, periphlebitis and vitritis are the most common ocular manifestations in tuberculosis. In patients with both tuberculosis and HIV most common ocular findings included vitritis and herpes zoster ophthalmicus. Our study also concludes that lower CD4 counts (less than 200) in HIV AIDS patient is significantly associated with ocular involvement.

Prevalence of ocular morbidity among rural elderly of Belagavi

Introduction: Blindness and visual impairment by its sheer magnitude forms an enormous problem, not only in human suffering, but also in terms of economical loss and social burden. Globally, 285 million people are visually impaired. Among them, the preventable causes are as high as 80% and the main burden is carried by developing countries. Materials and Methods: The present community based cross sectional study was conducted among individuals aged 60 years and above residing in the area covered under Vantamuri Primary Health Centre, Belagavi from 1st January to 31st December 2016. Data was collected from the study subject regarding socio-demographic variables and personal history. Detailed ocular examination was carried out, which included external eye examination using torch, visual acuity examination, confrontation test and fundus examination using ophthalmoscope. Results: The prevalence of ocular morbidities among elderly in rural area was 60.64%. Mean number of ocular morbidities per person was 1.78 + 1.05. Prevalence of visual impairment and blindness among elderly was 28.07% and 2.90% respectively. Major causes for ocular morbidities noted in our study were cataract, refractive error, retinopathies and glaucoma. Conclusion: The present cross sectional study, reported a higher prevalence of ocular morbidities among elderly in rural area. Ocular morbidity favoured people with higher age, female sex and illiterates. Keywords: Elderly population, Ocular morbidity, Rural area.

Pattern of Eye Diseases in Ophthalmic Outpatient Clinic of Al-Zahraa University Hospital: An Observational Descriptive Study

Background: A study of the pattern of the eye diseases is very essential because while some eye conditions are only causing of ocular morbidity, others invariably lead to blindness. However, some conditions are curable, others are largely preventable. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of different eye diseases among patients attending the Ophthalmic Outpatient Clinic of Al-Zahraa University Hospital. Subjects and methods: This study was carried out on 500 patients recruited from the Outpatient Clinic of the Ophthalmology Department, AL-Zahraa University Hospital. The study was performed from December 2018 to August 2019. All participants were subjected to fulfilling a pre designed questionnaire including questions about demographic data, a detailed ophthalmological history and a complete Ophthalmological Examination. Results: Retinal diseases (20.2%) were the most common eye diseases among the studied group followed by errors of refraction (19.6%), cataract (19.4%), dry eye (12.8%) and intravitreal injection (6.4%). There was a significant difference between male and female population regarding ocular trauma and different eye diseases. Also, there was a significant difference between occupation groups regarding diagnosis of different eye diseases and between age groups regarding diagnosis of different eye diseases. Conclusion: It could be concluded that due to the presence of a variety of ocular disorders that affect different anatomical parts of the eye, routine clinical examination and screening programs to decrease the incidence and prevalence of ocular morbidity are required.

Prevalence of ocular morbidities among children’s attending ophthalmology OPD in tertiary care hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Introduction: Ocular morbidities among pediatric age group play a major role in their education in addition to occurrence of blindness in our community. Even in India, preventable and treatable causes like cataract, refractive error still contribute to more than 80% preventable blindness. Material and Methods: The current research paper is a cross-sectional study, conducted in Saveetha medical college and hospital. The data pooled for the study was conducted from January 2019 to March 2019 for a period of 3 months. All children below the age of 15 years attending ophthalmology outpatient department were included in the study. Ethical clearance and informed verbal consent was obtained and detailed ophthalmic examination was done. Results: 271 patients were included in the study, 122were males and 149 were females. All the patients were divided into three broad age groups, 0-5 years, 6-10 years and 11-15 years. In the current study overall refractive error (54.6%) was the most widespread ocular morbidity. Allergic conjunctivitis (19.1%), foreign body (8.1%), Chalazion (4%), viral conjunctivitis (2.6%) and squint (2.2%) are other common morbidities. Conclusion: The present research paper suggests refractive error, allergic conjunctivitis, foreign body in eye and chalazion are the important ocular morbidities seen in children. Nearly all of them are treatable or preventable. The occurrence of refractive error is high among children and is the main cause of amblyopia.

Assessment of ocular health status of pupils in public and private primary schools in Sabon Gari, Zaria, Kaduna State

Background: Routine eye screening of pupils in schools as a matter of health policy is not obligatory in Nigeria. The administrative setting, organization, environment and social background of pupils in public and private schools are often different. Objectives: To determine the ocular health status of pupils in private and public primary schools in Sabon-Gari, Zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria, and ascertain whether there are differences. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the pupils. Visual acuity assessment using Snellen’s chart was done while anterior segment examination was carried out with a pen torch and loupe. Posterior segment was examined using a direct ophthalmoscope (Heine Beta 200). Results: A total of 540 pupils were selected from six primary schools, comprising 270 from three private schools and an equal number from 3 public schools. The ages of the pupils ranged from 3 to 16 years with a mean of 8.42 (SD ± 2.16). Females were 272 (50.4%) and males 268 (49.6%) (F:M = 1.01:1). The prevalence of ocular morbidities from the study was 22.8%. It was 24.4% in public and 21.1% in private schools respectively. Ametropia was the commonest ocular disorder seen in private schools pupils, 17 (6.3%), while vernal conjunctivitis, 23 (8.5%), was the most frequent findings in the public schools. Conclusion: Though ametropia was the commonest ocular morbidity seen among private school pupils and allergic conjunctivitis among those in public schools, these were not statistically significant (P &gt; 0.05).