Prevalence and types of refractive error among students presenting to a federal university school clinic in North-Central Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Uncorrected refractive error (URE) is a major public health problem with extensive negative social and economic impact on patients. It can limit educational and employment opportunities of affected individuals. We sought to determine the prevalence and types of refractive error (RE) among students presenting to a federal university school clinic in North-central Nigeria.

Methods: A school based retrospective study where the records of all students seen at the eye unit of the university clinic between March, 2019 and March 2020 was done. Details of student's refractions were retrieved from their records and categorized based on distant and near RE types. For each student, the eye with the better vision was used for the analysis. Myopia was defined as an error of greater or equal to -0.50DS; hypermetropia as an error of greater than or equal to + 0.50DS; while astigmatism was defined as an error of greater than or equal to 0.50DC. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Student version 21.

Results: A total of three hundred and twenty-two students were seen in the eye unit of the university clinic during the study period, of which 95 (29.5%) underwent refraction. RE was found in 81 of them giving a RE prevalence of 25.2%. There were more females 49 (58.0%) than males with RE with a M: F of 1:1.4. With an age range of 17-58 years, the most frequent age group was 17-26 years (51.8%). Myopia was the predominant RE 31(38.3%) and hypermetropia was the least RE found in 4 (4.9%) eyes.

Conclusion: Uncorrected refractive error is common among university students presenting to the eye unit of the university clinic with myopia being the most common type. There is therefore, a need to establish regular and effective screening programmes that will promote early detection and correction in order to forestall its negative impact on students' academic performance.