STUDY OF PREVALENCE AND PATTERN OF REFRACTIVE ERRORS AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN (7-15 YRS) IN URBAN SCHOOLS(PEELAMEDU)

Abstract : PURPOSE- TO STUDY THE PREVALENCE AND PATTERN OF REFRACTIVE ERRORS AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN (7-15 YRS) IN URBAN SCHOOLS IN PEELAMEDU. MATERIALS AND METHODS- WE DID A CROSS SECTIONAL AND TIME BOUND STUDY IN WHICH RANDOM CLUSTER SAMPLING AMONG STUDENTS IN 8 SELECTED SCHOOLS WERE EXAMINED FOR VISUAL IMPAIRMENT.THEY WERE THEN EXAMINED IN OUR OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT AND REFRACTION WAS DONE AND BEST GLASSES WERE PRESCRIBED. RESULTS- A TOTAL OF 2400 CHILDREN AGED 7 TO 15 YRS UNDERWENT VISION SCREENING. OUT OF WHICH 1411 WERE MALES AND 989 WERE FEMALES.AN UNAIDED VISUAL ACUITY OF 6-6(P) OR WORSE WAS PRESENT IN ONE OR BOTH EYES IN 324 CHILDREN. THE TOTAL PREVALANCE OF DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF REFRACTIVE ERROR WAS 13.5 PERCENT.IN OUR STUDY 144 CHILDREN (44.4PERCENT) WERE HAVING ASTIGMATISM, 109 CHILDREN(33.65PERCENT) WERE HAVING MYOPIA AND 71 CHILDREN (22.01PERCENT) HAD HYPERMETROPIA.IN OUR STUDY ABOUT 106 CHILDREN HAD VISUAL COMPLAINTS AND 184 CHILDREN WERE WITHOUT ANY COMPLAINTS BUT HAVING REFRACTIVE ERROR AND 34 WERE ALREADY HAVING GLASSES. FEMALES (58.34PERCENT ) HAD MORE INCIDENCE OF ASTIGMASTISM COMPARED TO MALES (41.66PERCENT) AND COMMONEST TYPE OF ASTIGMATISM FOUND IN THE STUDY IS COMPOUND MYOPIC TYPE (31.25PERCENT). AMONG THE DEFECTIVES THERE WAS NO CORRELATION FOUND W I T H T H E S O C I O E C O N O M I C S T A T U S . CONCLUSION-SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF CHILDREN OF THIS AREA HAD UNCORRECTED REFRACTIVE ERROR.INCIDENCE OF AMETROPIA WAS MORE IN FEMALES.ASTIGMATISM WAS THE COMMONEST TYPE OF REFRACTIVE ERROR OF WHICH COMPOUND MYOPIC ASTIGMATISM WAS THE MAXIMUM.THERE WAS NO CORRELATION WITH ECONOMIC STATUS.MOST OF THE CHILDREN AND PARENTS WERE UNAWARE ABOUT THE REFRACTIVE ERROR AND MOST OF THEM WERE DETECTED DURING THE SCREENING