Awareness About Refractive Error Among Students in Primary Schools

Introduction: The uncorrected Refractive Errors (REs) cause visual impairment in more than 300 million subjects worldwide. Correction of uncorrected REs is a priority of Vision 2020-The Right to Sight. The study aimed to determine the awareness about RE among students in primary schools. Methods: The descriptive prospective study was conducted on younger children groups aged 6-12 years, through a period of 12 months from March 2019 to March 2022. In total, 348 enrolled students were attending the ophthalmologic health private clinic. A structured questions form was designed to get information associated to the awareness of the families on REs. The form of questionnaire printed and distributed and explained to individuals. Participants agreed to answered all questions. The data collected included demographic information (sex, age, income of family, RE types and classes level). The rest portions were awareness of ocular symptoms, RE types, correction by spectacles, knowledge of aggravation, importance of wearing spectacles, awareness of contact lens usage and awareness about RE surgeries. Results: In study, 384 individuals enrolling, 211(54.9%) males and 173(45.1%) females. Group 6-9 years of students were 48.2% were while 51.8% belonging to age group of (10-12) years. In relation to family income, upper level in 20.1%, middle in 32.5% and lower in 47.4%. The class divided into (1-3) in 52.3% and (4-6) in 47.7%. According to ophthalmologists, the students classified into myopic in 42.95 and hypermetropic in 46.4%, besides 10.75 had astigmatism. The answer (yes) to awareness of ocular symptoms of RE was 80.9%, awareness RE types was 66.9%, correction by spectacles was 95.1%, knowledge of aggravation of RE was 67.9%, importance of wearing spectacles was 48.9%, awareness of contact lens usage was 53.6% and awareness about RE surgery was 41.4%. There is a significantly associated with participants’ awareness of alternatives to eyeglasses like contact lens (P = 0.01) and with willingness to use contact lens and underlying refractive eye surgery (P = 0.05). Conclusion: There are high to awareness of ocular symptoms of RE and correction by spectacles, moderate to awareness RE types and knowledge of aggravation of RE and low to importance of wearing spectacles, awareness of contact lens usage and awareness about RE surgery.