Ophthalmological findings in a sample of Swedish children aged 4-15 years

Aims: To characterize ophthalmological findings in a sample of Swedish children aged 4-15 years. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional comprehensive ophthalmological investigation was performed on a sample of 143 children (67 girls, 76 boys) aged 4-15 years. Results: Visual acuity (VA) in the better eye >= 1.0 (<= 0.0 logMAR) was found in 79% of subjects. None of the children had VA in the better eye < 0.5 (> 0.3 logMAR). Amblyopia was found in 0.7% of subjects. A total of 68% of the children had no refractive errors. Hyperopia (>= 2.0 dioptres [D] in spherical equivalent [SE]) was found in 9% and myopia (>= 0.5 D SE) in 6% of children. Astigmatism (>= 0.75 D) was recorded in 22% and anisometropia (>= 1.0 D SE) in 3%. A total of 8% were optically corrected. Strabismus was recorded in 3.5%. Signs of visuoperceptual problems were reported in 3% of the children. Conclusion: This sample of Swedish children may serve as a comparison group regarding ophthalmological findings in children aged 4-15 years.