Refractive Error among Children Presenting to the Outpatient Department of Ophthalmology in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Refractive error is an important component of the priority disease 'childhood blindness' within the vision 2020 initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness. Some 12.8 million in the age group 5-15 years are visually impaired from uncorrected or inadequately corrected refractive errors. Early detection and treatment of uncorrected refractive errors enable them to perform better in daily activities. This study aimed to find the prevalence of refractive error among children presenting to the outpatient Department of Ophthalmology in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done among children at a tertiary care centre from 19 June 2021 to 25 December 2021 after receiving ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Registration number: 2078/79/12). Children of the age group 6 to 15 years were included whereas those with other ocular problems such as corneal opacities, cataracts, ocular trauma, and conjunctivitis or submitted incomplete data forms were excluded from the study. Convenience sampling was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Out of 239 children, 118 (49.37%) (43.03-55.71, 95% Confidence Interval) were found to have refractive error. Conclusions: The prevalence of refractive error among children was higher compared to other studies conducted in similar settings. Keywords: children; ophthalmology; prevalence; refractive error.

Ocular Trauma among Patients Visiting the Outpatient Department of Ophthalmology in a Tertiary Care Centre.

Introduction: Ocular trauma is an important cause of blindness and ocular morbidity worldwide. Knowledge of the cause of eye injuries can guide preventive strategies and optimize management capacity. The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence of ocular trauma among patients visiting the outpatient Department of Ophthalmology in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with ocular trauma from 10 January 2023 to 5 July 2023 after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. A convenience sampling method was used. The point estimate was calculated at a 95% Confidence Interval. Results: Among 4,959 patients, 107 (2.16%) (1.76-2.56, 95% Confidence Interval) had ocular trauma. Among them, 24 (22.43%) had occular trauma due to fall injuries. Ocular trauma was observed in 82 (76.64%) males and the common agent was blunt objects seen in 56 (52.34%). Conclusions: The prevalence of ocular trauma among patients was lower than in other studies done in similar settings. Keywords: blunt injuries; injury; ophthalmology; prevalence.

Digital Eye Strain among Adults Presenting to Tertiary Care Hospital in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: The Novel Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has sent humanity indoors, replacing human contact with an electronic connection. The mandatory online classes and work from home policy to maintain the social distancing during the pandemic has forced the individual to spend most of the time in front of laptops or mobile screens. Digital eye strain is a group of vision-related symptoms that result from the continuous use of devices with digital displays, such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. The present study is done to find out the prevalence of digital eye strain among the adult population in a tertiary care hospital in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was done from January 2021 to July 2021 in a tertiary care hospital of Nepal after receiving ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Registration number: 077/78/30). Convenience sampling was done. The sample size calculated in our study was 322. Data collection and entry were done in Microsoft Excel, point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. RESULTS: The prevalence of digital eye strain was 300 (94.3%) (91.8-96.8 at 95% Confidence Interval) among 318 respondents. Eye strain (irritation, heaviness) was the most common digital eye strain symptom 199 (62.6%) followed by the tiredness of eyes 162 (50.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The present study concluded that the prevalence of digital eye strain in the era of COVID-19 is high as compared to other studies conducted among adults.