title: Impact of correcting visual impairment and low vision in deaf-mute students in Pune, India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate visual acuity and vision function before and after providing spectacles and low vision devices (LVDs) in deaf-mute students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Schools for deaf-mute in West Maharashtra.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hearing-impaired children in all special schools in Pune district underwent detailed visual acuity testing (with teachers' help), refraction, external ocular examination, and fundoscopy. Students with refractive errors and low vision were provided with spectacles and LVD. The LV Prasad-Functional Vision Questionnaire consisting of twenty items was administered to each subject before and after providing spectacles, LVDs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  252/929 (27.1%) students had a refractive error. 794 (85.5%) were profound deaf. Two-hundred and fifty students were dispensed spectacles and LVDs. Mean LogMAR visual acuity before introduction of spectacles and LVDs were 0.33 ± 0.36 which improved to 0.058 (P < 0.0001) after intervention. It was found that difference in functional vision pre- and post-intervention was statistically significant (P < 0.0001) for questions 1-19. The most commonly reported difficulties were for performing distance task like reading the bus destination (58.7%), making out the bus number (51.1%), copying from blackboard (47.7%), and seeing whether somebody is waving hand from across the road (45.5%). In response to question number 20, 57.4% of students felt that their vision was much worse than their friend's vision, which was reduced to 17.6% after dispensing spectacles and LVDs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spectacle and LVD reduced visual impairment and improved vision function in deaf-mute students, augmenting their ability to negotiate in and out of school.
authors.affiliation: Community Eye Care Foundation, Dr Gogate's Eye Clinic; Department of Ophthalmology, Padmashree D. Y. Patil Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Parikshit
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gogate
authors.affiliation: Community Eye Care Foundation, Dr Gogate's Eye Clinic; Bharati Vidyapeeth School of Optometry, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Shashi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhusan
authors.affiliation: Community Eye Care Foundation, Dr Gogate's Eye Clinic; Bharati Vidyapeeth School of Optometry, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Shantanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Bharati Vidyapeeth School of Optometry, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shinde
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014787:Vision Tests; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D055815:Young Adult