Prevalence of refractive error and low vision among schoolchildren in Cairo.
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 < or = 6/12) among the schoolchildren was 22.1% and low vision (visual acuity < or = 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.
Memorial Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Cairo, Egypt.
B M
BM
El-Bayoumy
A
A
Saad
A H
AH
Choudhury
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005139:Eyeglasses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015351:Vision Screening; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014792:Visual Acuity