Visual impairment and ocular morbidities among schoolchildren in Southwest, Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of visual impairment and ocular morbidities among primary and secondary schoolchildren aged 5 years to

The study was a population-based descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among schoolchildren aged 5 years to <16 years old attending primary and secondary schools in Ifo, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. Multistage sampling technique was used for the study. After enumeration and questionnaire administration, the visual acuities of all respondents were measured, followed by examination of the anterior and posterior segment structures of the eyes of the children.

A total of 1308 schoolchildren (574 males and 734 females) participated in the study with a mean age of 12.03 years (standard deviation = ±2.572 years). Eighty-seven (6.7%) children had visual impairment and 224 (17.1%) children had ocular morbidities. Of the 87 children with visual impairment, 61 (70.1%) had mild impairment, 19 (21.8%) had moderate impairment and 7 (8.0%) had severe impairment. The common ocular morbidities identified were refractive error 39.7%, high/asymmetrical vertical cup-to-disc ratio (suggestive of glaucomatous optic neuropathy) 33.5%, allergic conjunctivitis 19.2%, corneal opacity 2.7% and lenticular opacity 2.2%. Ocular morbidities identified among children with severe visual impairment were refractive error 5 (71.4%), allergic conjunctivitis and corneal opacity 1 (14.3%) each.

The study concluded that with the prevalence of 6.7% of visual impairment and 17.1% of ocular morbidity, it will be beneficial to establish a sustainable school eye health services in schools in Ifo.