title: [Children's eye care in Italy through data provided by "Let's see clear" campaign].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To know children's visual conditions and assess the actual status of ophthalmological prevention in Italy, highlighting both positive and negative aspects and its variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Research was carried out in nine Italian regions (Sicilia, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Emilia Romagna, Lombardia, Friuli Venezia Giulia) by means of questionnaire filled in by preschool, elementary and junior high school children's parents. A different amount of questionnaires has been got for each region. For this reason a percentage distribution is used instead of absolute value, in order to remove distortion due to the different size of samples from region to region. Statistical analysis was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  36.744 files were collected. Most important data were about (average):Parents' schooling (37% junior high school, 46% high school, 12% degree). 2. Spread of refractive errors (23% of children wear glasses). 3. Relation between children glasses (77% accepted glasses); 4. First ophthalmological examination: age (90% <6 yrs old in Lombardia), aim (77% prevention), who take the initiative (77% parents). 5. Relation between neonatal ophthalmological examination and premature birth or stay in incubator (Friuli: examination carried out on 63% of premature babies and on 79% of babies who needed the stay in the incubator). 6. The most common ocular diseases among children (subjective disorders 60%, motility disorders 20%, annexes' disorders 8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are no many examples of studies about childhood health and even less frequent are the investigations about prevention and the diffusion of ophthalmological examination among children. Our data result from a pretty representative sample of Italian reality. The main feature of visual health among the children included in our research is the great spread of refractive errors, according to most economically advanced countries. Parents play a key role regarding childhood prevention, because they seem to have a high level of awareness in most included regions. Therefore, the family should represent the recipient of efforts in order to move up further the ophthalmological examination on children, preferably at birth.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Organi di Senso, Clinica Oculistica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Italia. filippo.cruciani@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cruciani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Albanese
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Antonelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mazzeo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caracciolo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Pillo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D011322:Primary Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires