Vol. 1 Issue 1 Part A

Aim: The aim of the present study was to compare the refractive error and related ocular morbidities between school children.

Methods: An analytical study design was adopted to screen school children from randomly selected schools in urban and rural areas and duration of the study was 2 years. All children aged 5–15 years that were present in the school on the day of examination were included in the study. Seven urban and eight rural schools were then randomly selected. A total of 1680 students were allocated for the evaluation. Either due to the non-availability of the consent form or the child itself, 1500 (89.9%) were included for the final evaluation.

Results: Out of 1500 students, 800 belong to urban school and 700 belong to rural areas. The gender distribution between groups was similar (P = 0.6). The proportion of preparatory and secondary students of rural and urban was significantly different (p<0.05). The coverage of RE services among urban students was significantly greater than rural students. 55% were urban boys and 60% rural boys. 70% urban students were and 35% rural students in preparatory. The prevalence of RE was significantly higher in urban as compared to rural students. The prevalence of hyperopia was significantly higher among rural students compared to urban school students (P = 0.001). The prevalence of myopia was significantly higher among urban students compared to rural students (p<0.001). The prevalence of anisometropia was significantly higher in urban students compared to rural students (P = 0.001). The prevalence of strabismus was significantly higher in urban students compared to rural students (p<0.001). The proportion of rural students with “functional normal vision” was significantly higher than urban students (93.42% vs. 65%).

Conclusion: This study revealed that the most common cause of ocular morbidity was refractive error. The majority of the causes were either treatable or preventable. A simple school screening was an effective and an easy method for early detection of ocular problems.