PREVALENCE OF REFRACTIVE ERRORS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Visual impairment is a public health issue, especially among primary school children, as it can substantially impact their educational performance and overall well-being. Investigating the prevalence of refractive errors in this age group is vital to identifying potential visual issues early and ensuring appropriate interventions. This study was aimed at investigating the prevalence of refractive errors in primary school children in Oredo Local Government Area, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. There were 295 participants between 5-13 years with a mean age of 8.69 ± 2.414 years, and 150 were females while 145 were males. Monocular and binocular vision were accessed using the Snellen’s chart @6m, while near vision was assessed using the near point card at 40cm, ophthalmoscopy was done to rule out any abnormalities, then retinoscopy was done to determine the type of refractive error and then neutralized. The findings of the study revealed that, the prevalence of refractive error was 26.10%. The most prevalent refractive error was astigmatism (41.6%), closely followed by hyperopia (39.0%) with myopia being the least prevalent in the study population (19.5%).However, there was no significant difference in age-based distribution of refractive error in the study population (p = 0.506) with hyperopia being the most common among children aged 8-10 (n = 16; 50%) and astigmatism in the 11-13 age group(n =9; 45%). The study also revealed that there was no gender-based difference in the distribution of refractive errors among the sample population (p = 0.150). Astigmatism was the most prevalent among males (n = 20; 52.6%) while hyperopia was the most prevalent among females (n = 18; 46.2%). In conclusion, this study showed that the prevalence of refractive errors among primary school children in Oredo LGA was 26.10% with astigmatism as the most prevalent type. This study suggests the implementation of routine eye screening programs in primary schools to facilitate early detection and timely intervention for refractive errors.