Prevalence and Causes of Ocular Morbidities among School Children in Enugu-East Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

Good vision is very important for people of all ages, especially children. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and causes of ocular morbidities among public high school students in Enugu-East Local Government Area (L.G.A) of Enugu State. The method used was a cross-sectional descriptive study and for this 950 students were selected using the multistage sampling technique, a structured questionnaire administered by an interviewer was used to obtain sociodemographic data, the medical history of the students and document the findings of the study. eye exam. Their visual acuity, anterior and posterior segments of the eyeball were examined, as well as evaluated for color vision perception. Obtaining the following results from a total of 950 students (361 men, 589 women) who were interviewed and examined, the mean age of the participants was 14.2 ± 1.9 years and only 4 (0.4%) students underwent an eye exam upon entering school, but none of these 4 had a color test. Approximately 96.7% of the students had normal or near normal visual acuity. The overall prevalence of ocular morbidity was 9.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 7.3 – 11.2). The most prevalent ocular morbidity was uncorrected refractive error with a prevalence of 5.3%, followed by color vision defect (1.2%) and suspected glaucomatous disc (1.1%), with conjunctivitis being the least prevalent. bacterial, conjunctival nevus, corneal opacity and pseudophakia (each 0.1%). With these data it is concluded that High school students in Enugu-East L.G.A of Enugu State had some ocular morbidities. Therefore, early detection and proper treatment are important for affected students to maximize their academic potential.