Prevalence and Severity of Hypermetropia and Astigmatism Among Druze Children From the Golan Heights

Refractive errors in childhood, if untreated, may lead to long-term visual and developmental complications. Studies have shown differences in the prevalence and severity of refractive errors among various ethnic groups.

To evaluate the prevalence and severity of hypermetropia and astigmatism among Druze children from the Golan Heights compared to the general population in northern Israel.

A retrospective clinic-based analysis of 1116 children aged 1-12 years, examined at the Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic at Ziv Medical Center between 2016 and 2018. Subjects were divided into groups based on their place of residence. Prevalence of hypermetropia and astigmatism was compared between groups using chi-square tests, and severity was compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Hypermetropia and astigmatism were significantly more prevalent in Druze children than in non-Druze children (60.9%, 95% CI: 54.6-66.8 vs. 48.1%, 95% CI: 44.8-51.4, p < 0.01 for hypermetropia; 58.8%, 95% CI: 52.6-64.9 vs. 46.8%, 95% CI: 43.5-50.1, p = 0.01 for astigmatism). Druze children also exhibited higher severity of both hypermetropia (p = 0.017) and astigmatism (p = 0.046) compared to non-Druze children.

Hypermetropia and astigmatism are more prevalent and severe in Druze children of the Golan Heights compared to the general population of northern Israel. Screening tests may be advised for this population to enable early diagnosis and treatment, thereby preventing visual and developmental complications.