Prevalence and Risk Factors of Refractive Errors among School-aged Children in Postpandemic Eastern India: A...

Refractive errors continue to be one of the most common causes of visual impairments among children, and postpandemic behavioral changes may influence their prevalence. The aim is to find the prevalence and associated risk factors of refractive errors among school-going children in eastern India in the postpandemic situation.

A total of 820 children, aged 5-15 years, in rural and urban areas of Jharkhand were surveyed during the period from June 2024 to June 2025. Sociodemographic variables, along with screen time, outdoor activity, and family history, were elicited using a structured questionnaire. The best visual acuity was taken on a Snellen chart, followed by confirmation of refractive errors by retinoscopy and subjective refraction. The associations were computed using the Chi-square test, where P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The overall prevalence of refractive errors in this study was 16.8%, and myopia constituted 59.4% of these. Significant associations were noted with older age (P = 0.002), residence in an urban area (P = 0.012), more than 2 h of screen time per day (P = 0.001), <1 h of outdoor activity daily (P = 0.008), and a positive family history of refractive errors (P < 0.001). There was no association with gender, parental education, or school type.

Refractive errors are increasingly prevalent among urban, older children and are strongly linked with excessive screen exposure, limited outdoor activity, and family history. Hence, early screening and behavior-based treatments are required to reduce visual morbidity in this population.