Prevalence Of Refractive Errors In School Going Children In Rural And Urban Areas -A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Visual impairment affects students’ routine schoolwork and day-to-day activities.Hence, the aim is to study the prevalence of various refractive errors and their comparison amongschool children of 5-15 years in rural and urban areas. Methods: This cross-sectional studyexamined 998 students from both rural and urban schools. After obtaining ethical clearance andinformed consent, students were examined for refractive errors. The students with the refractiveerror were given a socio-demographic questionnaire and questionnaire regarding their usage oftelevision, computer, and family history of refractive errors. A Chi-square test was used to test thestatistical significance of proportions. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, anddata were analyzed by using coGuide software, V.1.03 Results: The prevalence of refractive errorwas found to be 6.41 %, with a prevalence of 7.61% in urban and 5.21% in rural areas. Thedifference in the type of refractive error between the study groups was found to be insignificant,with P= 0.897. Conclusion: Prevalence of refractive errors was more in urban school children thanrural. Refractive error was more prevalent in 13-15 years age group in both rural and urban schoolchildren. The most common refractive error was myopia, followed by astigmatism andhypermetropia.