ABSTRACT
A preliminary survey was conducted to detect the prevalence of refractive error [RE] and low vision among 5839 schoolchildren aged 7-14 years in Cairo, Egypt. Screening was done using Landolt broken ring chart and pinhole test. The prevalence of RE [visual acuity = 6/12] among the schoolchildren was 22.1% and low vision [visual acuity = 6/18] was 12.5%. The prevalence of low vision was greatest among the preparatory schoolchildren aged 12 + years. RE was higher among the female students than males [21.4% and 13.6% respectively]. Development of a national survey for detection of visual problems for both preschool and school-aged children is recommended
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Vision, Low/epidemiology , Visually Impaired Persons , Health Surveys , Prevalence , Age Distribution , Sex DistributionABSTRACT
This study evaluated the preventable environmental risk factors of refractive error [RE] among 1292 Egyptian schoolchildren aged 7-15 years, chosen from 12 schools using multistage random sampling. A questionnaire was completed, covering personal, medical, social and environmental data. Statistical analysis revealed that living in an area with many sources of environmental pollution, age, sex, family history of RE, socioeconomic status, ocular problems, school level and amount of near-work [hours/day] were significantly associated with RE. Logistic regression, after adjustment for sex, found that school level, near-work, socioeconomic status and family history were associated with RE