REFRACTIVE ERRORS AMONG RURAL SCHOOLCHILDREN IN SOUTH EGYPT | ||
| Al-Azhar Journal of Pediatrics | ||
| Article 7, Volume 25, Issue 2, April 2022, Pages 2745-2764 PDF (406.79 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/azjp.2022.259322 | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Visual impairment caused by uncorrected refractive errors (RE) represents a major cause of correctable blindness that affects a wide range of children worldwide. Delay in diagnosis and correction can have serious impacts on the quality of life and socioeconomic development of the affected children. There is increasing needs for screening programs to document the prevalence, types and extent of refractive errors. Objectives: To determine the prevalence, types and extent of refractive errors among the rural schoolchildren in South Egypt. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 6333 students of 10 primary schools in rural areas of three governorates in South (Upper) Egypt (Qena, Luxor and Aswan) were screened and their cycloplegic refraction had been determined. Results: Refractive errors were found in 519 students with overall prevalence of 8.2%. The frequency increased significantly among younger age students (≤ 8 years) compared to elder children (> 8 years old) (9.9% and 7.7% respectively) and between inhabitants of Aswan compared to Luxor and Qena governorates (10.9%, 6.3% and 7.7% respectively) with no significant difference between female and male students. Conclusions: The overall prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors among rural schoolchildren in South Egypt was found to be 8.2%. Astigmatism was the most commonly reported type of RE followed by myopia and lastly hypermetropia. The study recommends regular screening for RE between schoolchildren together with education to students, their tutors and guardians about the importance of early management of that problem. | ||
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