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Epidemiologic study of anisometropia in students of Natal, Brazil
Carlos Alexandre de Amorim Garcia1, Erymar de Araújo Dantas, Araken Britto de Souza
1Ophthalmology Service, Onofre Lopes University Hospital (HUOL), Department of Surgery, Federal University of Rio Grade do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Brazil. prontoc.de.olhos@digi.com.br
Purpose:
To perform an epidemiologic study in students in Natal/Brazil, with relation to refractional anisometropia, evaluating criteria such as: gender, age, and association with strabismus and amblyopia.
Methods:
A study of 1,024 students randomly selected from several districts of Natal/Brazil was undertaken by the Department of Ophthalmology of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), observing the following criteria of > or =2 spherical or cylindrical diopter refractional anisometropia relating it to sex, age, association with strabismus, amblyopia and anisometropia classification.
Results:
We found a prevalence of 2% (N=21) anisometropia in the students. The female gender predominated with 81% (N=17). In students with anisometropia, we observed an association with strabismus in 9.5% of cases (N=2), both with exotropia. The association of anisometropia with amblyopia occurred in 47.6% of the cases (N=10), with 8 cases of unilateral amblyopia and 2 cases of bilateral amblyopia.
Conclusions:
There was a predominance of anisometropia in females, and an increased prevalence of strabismus and amblyopia in students with anisometropia.
