ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Refractive errors are a known cause of visual impairment and may cause blindness worldwide. In children, refractive errors may prevent those afflicted from progressing with their studies. Because of the increasing realization of the enormous need for correction of refractive errors worldwide, this condition has been considered one of the priorities of the global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness: VISION 2020 — The Right to Sight.
OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of refractive errors among school children in Damaturu Local Government Area of Yobe State for the purpose of enhancing their learning capability and reducing visual impairment and other related complications.
METHODS: The study design was a descriptive cross sectional study; Six hundred and thirty nine school children between the ages of 5-17 participated in the study. A pre tested questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data, history of wearing glasses, watching TV or using computer, time spent reading and writing per day, location of school and attitude towards the use of prescription glasses. Eye examination was carried out on each respondent to assess their eye health status especially for the presence of refractive errors. Refractive error was defined as any visual acuity correctable with ±0.50DS or ±0.50DC. Data obtained was analyzed statistically using IBM SPSS version 21.
RESULTS: Six hundred and thirty nine students participated in this study. the major ocular symptoms among school children reported by this study are itching, blurred vision and red eye. The major refractive error found among school children is Hyperopia which was closely followed by Myopic Astigmatism. The unmet need for refractive correction in the study was 83.97% while the met need was 16.02%. The general attitude of school children towards the use of prescription glasses was poor. [230(59.3%)] of the respondents having refractive error reported not using spectacle correction because they feel that glasses weaken the eye, [124(32.0)] feel that glasses are too expensive while [34(8.7)] reported not wearing glasses because they feel it makes one look ugly. Age, higher grade level (class), location of residence, time spent watching Television, and time spent reading and writing per day were significantly associated with refractive errors. The overall prevalence of refractive errors in the study was 89.8%.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of refractive error among school children in Damaturu Local Government Area of Yobe State is high (89.8%) and urgent intervention is needed to address it. KEYWORDS: Refractive error; Visual Acuity; hyperopia; myopia; astigmatism; Visual impairment.
