Refractive errors among school-going children in Hyderabad
Journal Title: International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health - Year 2017, Vol 6, Issue 4
Abstract
Background: Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of eye problem worldwide. Children are more vulnerable because it starts in school age and can hinder the learning process and educational achievement. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of known case of refractive error among school-going children and its socioeconomic characteristics, and attitude of the students toward corrective measure. Materials and Methods: A study was conducted among school-going children from 6th to 10th standard from three schools. Permission was taken from the respective school’s authority and consent was taken from parents through school. Each school had about 300 students, making a total of 900. Students are known to have refractive errors were included in the study. Out of 900, 190 were known to be affected. Data were collected using predesigned questionnaire and analyzed by appropriate statistical tests. Results: The prevalence of known case of refractive error was 21%. Maximum (51%) were between 11 and 12 years of age. About 95% of affected students had myopia. Majority of the students (54.2%) had blurring of vision as their initial complaint. Regarding family history of refractive errors, 65% of the student’s fathers were affected, 49% mothers were affected, and 43% of the siblings were affected. Almost 100% of the students used glasses and only 50% of the students get their eyes checked every 6 months. About 48% of students spent >2 h in front of screen and 47% students spent <2 h in outdoor activities. Conclusion: The prevalence of refractive error was very high; hence, school health services including eye screening should be given special attention.
Authors and Affiliations
Mohammed Zain Ur-Rehman, Sultan Rizwan Ahmad, Mariya Syed
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP303729
- DOI 10.5455/ijmsph.2017.116342212016
- Views 50
- Downloads 0
Comparison of astigmatism after superotemporal incision in right eye and superonasal incision in left eye with superior incision in clear corneal phacoemulsification
Background: Today, cataract surgeries are aiming pseudophakic emmetropia, which makes eliminating post-operative astigmatism must. Phacoemulsification can be done with superior, oblique, or temporal clear corneal incisio...
Effectiveness and comparison of reteplase versus streptokinase thrombolytic agents in the patients of acute myocardial infarction
Background: Streptokinase and reteplase are commonly used for thrombolytic therapy in the patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A comparative study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of both thrombolyt...
Feasibility study of conducting and evaluating a structured oral examination among undergraduate medical students in Community Medicine
Background: In any examination viva, subjectivity automatically creeps in when the viva is unstructured and goes in multiple directions, owing to the fact that all the medical subjects are vast and exhaustive in nature....
Incidence of various clinico-morphological variants of cutaneous tuberculosis and its drug susceptibility pattern-Delhi based study
Background: Tuberculosis was declared global emergency in year 1993. The global spread of the disease is complicated by the ubiquitous appearance of drug-resistant strains, and particularly multidrug-resistant (MDR) stra...
Management of abnormal uterine bleeding caused by leiomyoma in a patient with acute leukemia: a case report
A 19 years old woman was hospitalized with chief complaint of vaginal bleeding since 1 month before. Physical examination revealed a palpable mass in her abdomen. The patient also experienced gum and nose bleeding with...