Type of Refractive Errors among School Going Children from District Kathua, Jammu, India

Introduction: Worldwide refractive error remains one of the most common causes of visual impairment in children. Uncorrected refractive error can lead to long term effect on acadaemic progression and employment opportunities. The study was conducted in remote area of district of Kathua, Jammu, India. Aim: To estimate type of refractive error among children and its association with demographic characters. Materials and Methods: The descriptive, cross-sectional, observational, hospital-based study was carried out in Out Patient Department (OPD) of Ophthalmology, Government Medical College, Kathua. The study of population included 351 children of age 5-16 years with complaint of diminution of vision. Examination included visual acuity recording, slit lamp, fundus examination and dilated retinoscopy. Inferential statistics was calculated using Open Epi version 3.01 Results: Out of 1582 children, 351(22.18%) children had refractive error. Their mean age was 12.52 +/- 2.87 years. The refractive errors were more common in the age group 13-16 years (61.5%), followed by 9-12 years (29.9%), and 5-8 years (8.51%). Refractive errors were more in males (56.12%) as compared to females (43.87%); 247(70.37%) children had refractive error in both the eyes, whereas 104(29.6%) had it in one eye. Astigmatism was most common (50.14%) followed by myopia (40.45%), hypermetropia (7.4%) and amblyopia (1.99%). Maximum astigmatism was seen in 13-16 years (56.25%) followed by 9-12 years (34.09%) and least in 5-8 years (9.65%). Conclusion: A high percentage of refractive errors in the study indicate that school health services should be strengthened and implemented effectively.