RESUMO
Background: Ocular allergy is a common disorder, which can be debilitating for patients and at times challenging physicians to diagnose and treat. Allergic disease affects 30-50% of the population. Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) has predilection for young age group and the diagnosis is generally based on signs and symptoms of the disease. This study was undertaken to stress upon the disease and those secondary to its long-term medication. Methods: 74 patients with VKC detected at random, who attended the Department of Ophthalmology KIMS, Hubli from December 2012 to May 2014. The relevant details of history and clinical examination of the patients were recorded on a specifically designed Proforma. The type and severity of VKC was noted. Clinical observation and evaluation of clinical signs and symptoms were performed before and after drug therapy at first visit, weekly interval for 2 weeks and at the end of 3 months. Results: 22 out of 74 (29.72%) were in the 6-10 years of age. The male: female ratio was 2.7:1.13. Majority of the patients presented in the month of May. Family history of allergy was present in 4 (5.04%) of patients. 59 (72.72%) patients showed seasonal symptoms and 15 (20.27%) patients showed perennial symptoms. Mixed type was found in 60.81%. Itching was present in 59 (79.72%). 72 (97.29%) had papillae on the upper tarsal conjunctiva. Conclusions: VKC was common in males, during hot climate. Mixed type of VKC was more commonly present.
RESUMO
Background: Poor vision in childhood affects performance in school or at work and has a negative influence on the future life of the child. Moreover planning of a youth’s career is very much dependent on the visual acuity, especially in jobs for navy, military, railways and aviation. This warrants early detection and treatment of refractive errors to prevent permanent disability. Hence present study was planned with the objective to determine, the prevalence of myopia among school children. Methods: An institution based cross sectional study was carried out among primary and high school children of 7 – 15 years of age. A total of 4429 children were studied over a period of one year. Visual acuity was performed among all children. Myopic children were referred for further evaluation and management. Data was entered in excel and analyzed using proportions and chi square test. Results: The prevalence of myopia was 6%. It was more among girls 155 (58.27%) than boys 111 (41.73%) were boys. 91.73% had bilateral myopia. Visual acuity improved in 95% of cases after correction. Myopia was more common among social class IV compared to social class VI. Conclusions: Early diagnosis and visual rehabilitation of myopic students can be achieved by periodic eye examination at regular intervals by school teachers and basic health workers and this can help in preventing the development of amblyopia thereby reducing the burden of morbidity due to myopia.