Abstract
BackgroundRefractive error (RE) is a leading cause of visual impairment (VI) in children, the most common cause of childhood handicaps, and the second leading cause of childhood blindness globally. Refractive error and/or VI limits the ability of a child to perform well at school, in most sporting activities which require good vision, and negatively affects the socio-economical security of an individual. These two conditions have also reported to impact quality of life (QoL). The epidemiological evidence about the prevalence and distribution of RE and VI, as well their impact on the QoL of school-going children in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), will assist policymakers and stakeholders involved in child eye care in channelling resources appropriately. The main objective of this scoping review study therefore is to map available evidence on RE and or VI and their impact on QoL of school-going children in SSA. Methods This systematic review study will follow the five steps outlined in a framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). The literature search will be conducted using the following databases, EBSCOhost: CINAHL, Academic search complete, Health-Consumer and Health-Nursing, Google Scholar, Science direct and PubMed. The period of the literature will be from January 1998 to 31 December 2020, all suitable studies will be exported to a Mendeley library and in cases of outstanding articles the authors will be contacted directly. The title screening will be done by the principal investigator (PI), then the study will employ two independent reviewers which will have access to the Mendeley library to do abstract screening (AS) and a full article screening (FAS). Following FAS, data extraction will be done by PI. The quality index of all included studies will be determined using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The results will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Discussion The evidence of this scoping review will guide policy makers and all stakeholders in planning intervention strategies to address this global issue. Furthermore, the results of this review will be published in a peer reviewed journal and will be used to guide future research in this and related areas. Systemic review registration: Submitted (PROSPERO) 27/04/2021
Blindness and visual impairment due to age-related cataract in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of recent population-based studies
