The prevalence and causes of visual impairment in Dariyah, a rural community in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleed Alghamdi ◽  
Godwin O. Ovenseri-Ogbomo
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Health Examination ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Eye Examination

Background: Visual impairment is disproportionately distributed between rural and urban dwellers. Rural dwellers have limited access to the eye care services that are available in urban cities.Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment in Dariyah, a rural community in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.Setting: This research comprised a population-based assessment of the vision and visual status of the inhabitants of Dariyah community.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted amongst the inhabitants of the community of Dariyah. A comprehensive eye examination consisting of visual acuity, ocular health examination, objective and subjective refraction was performed. The examinations were conducted by registered ophthalmologists and optometrists from the Qassim University. Vision impairments were categorised according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Section 9D90, ‘Vision impairment including blindness’ (2018).Results: In all, 68 (24.5%) participants had vision impairment (using the better-seeing eye), with refractive errors being the main cause of vision impairment. Other causes of vision impairment included cataract (20, 7.2%), trichiasis (5, 1.8%) and glaucoma (2, 0.7%). Refractive errors were present in 193 (69.7%), with astigmatism being the commonest refractive error. About 60% of those with refractive errors presented without spectacles for correction, and 20% reported that they had never had an eye examination. Refractive errors could not be determined in 19 (6.9%) of the subjects because of conditions such as matured cataract and other ocular abnormalities.Conclusion: Uncorrected refractive error was found to be the leading cause of vision impairment in this rural community in Saudi Arabia.

Rapid assessment of avoidable blindness in Papua New Guinea: a nationwide survey

2018 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Lee ◽  
Fabrizio D'Esposito ◽  
Jambi Garap ◽  
Geoffrey Wabulembo ◽  
Samuel Peter Koim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
National Capital ◽  
Uncorrected Refractive Error

ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence and main causes of blindness and vision impairment in people aged 50 years and older in Papua New Guinea (PNG).DesignNational cross-sectional population-based survey in National Capital District (NCD), Highlands, Coastal and Islands regions.MethodsAdults aged 50 years and above were recruited from 100 randomly selected clusters. Each participant underwent monocular presenting and pinhole visual acuity (VA) assessment and lens examination. Those with pinhole VA<6/12 in either eye had a dilated fundus examination to determine the primary cause of reduced vision. Those with obvious lens opacity were interviewed on barriers to cataract surgery.ResultsA total of 4818 adults were examined. The age-adjusted and sex-adjusted prevalence of blindness (VA <3/60), severe vision impairment (SVI, VA <6/60 but ≥3/60), moderate vision impairment (MVI, VA <6/18 but ≥6/60) and early vision impairment (EVI, VA <6/12 but ≥6/18) was 5.6% (95% CI 4.9% to 6.3%), 2.9% (95% CI 2.5% to 3.4%), 10.9% (95% CI 9.9% to 11.9%) and 7.3% (95% CI 6.6% to 8.0%), respectively. The main cause of blindness, SVI and MVI was cataract, while uncorrected refractive error was the main cause of EVI. A significantly higher prevalence of blindness, SVI and MVI occurred in the Highlands compared with NCD. Across all regions, women had lower cataract surgical coverage and spectacle coverage than men.ConclusionsPNG has one of the highest reported prevalence of blindness globally. Cataract and uncorrected refractive error are the main causes, suggesting a need for increased accessible services with improved resources and advocacy for enhancing eye health literacy.

scholarly journals Refractive Errors and its Associated Factors among Undergraduate Medical Students in Kathmandu

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30
Author(s):  
Aparna Rizyal ◽  
JS Sunrait ◽  
A Mishal
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Parental History ◽  
Medical College

 Refractive error is a defect in the optical system of the eye which prevents light from being brought to a single point focus on the retina, thus reducing normal vision. This optical defect is the second most common cause of visual impairment globally as well in Nepal. At present, there are 285 million visually impaired people in the world. An estimated 4 out of 5 visual impairment (80%) can be prevented or cured, uncorrected refractive errors are the leading cause (42%) followed by cataract (33%). A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to determine the proportion of undergraduate medical students with refractive errors in Nepal Medical College, and to identify factors associated with it. A total of 210 medical students volunteered for this study, with 100 males (47.6%) and 110 females (52.4%). The age of these students were between 18 to 26 years, with an average of 20.5 years. The proportion of medical students with refractive error was slightly more than half (51.4%), with simple myopia being the leading type (42.9%), followed by astigmatism (7.1%) and simple hypermetropia (1.4%). Parental history of refractive error was observed to be significantly associated with that of the medical students. There was also a significant association between refractive error and the daily use of mobile phones and laptops. However, years spent in medical education were not observed to be significant.

scholarly journals Astigmatism among children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: prevalence and associated factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Basheikh ◽  
Sara Howldar ◽  
Mohammed Basendwah ◽  
Rasha Baqais ◽  
Motaz Bamakrid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Oral Reading ◽  
Pediatric Population ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: Undiagnosed astigmatism among children may result in multiple unfavourable consequences, such as poor performance on cognitive and language tasks, reduced oral reading fluency, behavioural disorders, and amblyopia development. In contrast, astigmatism is easily correctable in young children, which highlights the need for periodic assessment of its prevalence amongpediatric populations. Purpose: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of astigmatism among the pediatric population in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and to assess the rate of newly detected cases (incidental astigmatism) and the associated risk factors. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among visitors of the awareness campaign about amblyopia, which took place in the Red Sea Mall, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on January 29–30, 2016. Children aged 2–15 years were enrolled in the study to undergo noncycloplegic eye examination using an autorefractometer for measuring cylindrical refractive error (Cyl). The calculated sample size for the studied age group of the population of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was 291. Astigmatism was defined as Cyl 1 diopter in either eye. Multivariate binomial regression was used to analyze the predictors of incidental astigmatism. Results: We examined the eyes of 347 children, mean age = 7.788 (standard deviation = 2.69) years, females = 53.3%. The overall prevalence of astigmatism was 41.5%, whereas the prevalence of incidental astigmatism was 40.6% among 342 children without apparent astigmatism. The prevalence of incidental astigmatism was associated with a previous diagnosis of amblyopia, having a sibling known to have amblyopia, and wearing spectacles. However, only wearing spectacles was shown to predict incidental astigmatism in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Astigmatism is highly prevalent among children in Western Saudi Arabia, with the majority being undiagnosed before this screening campaign. These findings urge for further nationwide, population-based studies to address the burden of refractive errors among children in Saudi Arabia. Key words: amblyopia, incidental, population, refractive error, risk factors, Saudi

scholarly journals The Refractive Error and Vision Impairment Estimation With Spectacle data (REVIEWS) study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Moore ◽  
James Loughman ◽  
John S Butler ◽  
Arne Ohlendorf ◽  
Siegfried Wahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Survey ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Risk Estimation ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Bootstrap Analysis ◽  
Spectacle Lens ◽  
Sales Data

Objective: To investigate whether spectacle lens sales data can be used to estimate the population distribution of refractive error amongst ametropes and hence estimate the current and future risk of vision impairment. Design: Cross Sectional Study Subjects: A total 141,547,436 spectacle lens sales records from an international European lens manufacturer between the years 1998 and 2016. Methods: Anonymized patient spectacle lens sales data including refractive error information was provided by a major European spectacle lens manufacturer. Data from the Gutenberg Health Survey was digitized to allow comparison of a representative, population-based sample to the spectacle lens sales data. A bootstrap analysis was completed to assess the comparability of both datasets. The expected level of vision impairment due to myopia at age 75 was calculated for both datasets using a previously published risk estimation equation combined with a saturation function. Main Outcome Measures: Comparability of spectacle lens sales data on refractive error to typical population surveys of refractive error and its potential utility to predict vision impairment due to refractive error. Results: Equivalent estimates of the population distribution of spherical equivalent refraction can be provided from spectacle lens data within limits. For myopia, the population distribution was equivalent to the Gutenberg Health Survey (≤ 5% deviation) for levels ≤-2.0 dioptres, while for hyperopia the distribution was equivalent (≤ 5% deviation) for levels ≥ +3.0 diopters. The estimated rates of vision impairment due to myopia were not statistically significantly different (χ2 = 182, DoF = 169, p = 0.234) between the spectacle lens data and Gutenberg Health Survey data. Conclusions: The distribution of refractive error and hence the risk of vision impairment due to refractive error within a population can be determined using spectacle lens sales data. Pooling this type of data from multiple industry sources could provide a cost effective, timely and globally representative mechanism for monitoring the evolving epidemiology of refractive error and associated vision impairment.

scholarly journals Refractive Error among Male Primary School Students in Jazan, Saudi Arabia: Prevalence and Associated Factors

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 264-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tariq Al Bahhawi ◽  
Anwar M Makeen ◽  
Hadi Hassan Daghreeri ◽  
Mohannad Faisal Tobaigy ◽  
Abdulrahman Mohammed Adawi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Students ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: Refractive error is a common and serious eye disorder that affects more than 153 million people globally. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and pattern of refractive error among male primary school children in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a randomly selected group of 395 students (aged 6-14 years) in Jazan region, Southwest Saudi Arabia. An optometrist and medical students assessed the refraction error using an autorefractor, a Snellen E chart and retinoscopy. Results: The overall prevalence of uncorrected refractive error in either eye was, 22% higher among rural students. The most prevalent refractive error was hyperopia (32.2%) followed by myopic astigmatism (31%) then myopia (17.2%). Next were hyperopic astigmatism (16.1%) and mixed astigmatism (3.5%). The following variables were associated with a higher risk of refractive errors and myopia: living in rural areas, having parents with refractive errors, spending more time on electronic devices and shorter visual distances. Conclusion: Refractive error was highly prevalent among primary school children in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. The rural students were more affected by refractive errors, mainly hyperopia. The preschool vision test should be reconsidered, and a periodic vision examination should be applied to detect vision problems as early as possible.

scholarly journals Visual impairment and blindness: an overview of prevalence and causes in Brazil

2009 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solange R. Salomão ◽  
Márcia R. K. H. Mitsuhiro ◽  
Rubens Belfort Jr
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
School Children ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Epidemiologic Studies ◽  
Important Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Refractive Correction

Our purpose is to provide a summary overview of blindness and visual impairment on the context of recent Brazilian ocular epidemiologic studies. Synthesis of data from two cross-sectional population-based studies - the São Paulo Eye Study and the Refractive Error in School Children Study is presented. 3678 older adults and 2441 school children were examined between July 2004 and December 2005. Prevalence of blindness in older adults using presenting visual acuity was 1.51% decreasing to 1. 07% with refractive correction. The most common causes of blindness in older adults were retinal disorders, followed by cataract and glaucoma. In school children, the prevalence of uncorrected visual impairment was 4.82% decreasing to 0.41% with refractive correction. The most common cause of visual impairment in school children was uncorrected refractive error. Visual impairment and blindness in Brazil is an important public health problem. It is a significant problem in older Brazilians, reinforcing the need to implement prevention of blindness programs for elderly people with emphasis on those without schooling. In school-children cost-effective strategies are needed to address a readily treatable cause of vision impairment - prescription and provision of glasses.

scholarly journals Parents’ Awareness of and Perspectives on Childhood Refractive Error and Spectacle Wear in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleed M Alghamdi ◽  
Saif H Alrasheed
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Parental Attitudes ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Uncorrected Refractive Error

Objectives: This study aimed to assess parents’ awareness of and perspectives on childhood refractive error in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study included parents from different regions of Saudi Arabia was conducted between October and November 2020 and included 358 parents. Data were collected using an online questionnaire that involved questions to assess parents’ knowledge and perceptions of childhood refractive error and spectacle wear. Results: A total of 358 completed questionnaires were obtained in this study with a response rate of 85%. Almost 38.3% of parents reported that they had never heard of refractive error. One-third (33.7%) mentioned that uncorrected refractive error did not lead to visual impairment. The majority (74.0%) cited using eyeglasses as an effective way to manage childhood refractive error. Two-thirds (63.7%) stated that they did not receive any information about paediatric eye care. Better knowledge was associated with having a higher educational level, being female, and having an older age (p˂0.001, p=0.008, and p=0.024 respectively). Regarding parents' perspective on spectacle wear, almost 13.7% felt that using eyeglasses affected their children's chances of learning. However, 82.7% supposed that eyeglasses did not affect their children's employment opportunities. Approximately 22.1% thought that using eyeglasses would decrease the eyes power resulting in childhood visual impairment. Conclusion: The level of awareness and perceptions of childhood refractive error and spectacle wear was low among parents. Therefore, a policy is needed to improve the awareness and perception of key stakeholders such as parents and teachers.  In turn such an improvement could play a crucial role in addressing the poor knowledge and bad perception of treatment for childhood refractive error. Keywords: Childhood visual impairment; spectacle wear; parental attitudes; refractive error; paediatric eye care; psychological effect; vision care; Spectacle compliance.

scholarly journals Profile of refractive errors and amblyopia in 5-15 yrs of school going children at a Union territory tertiary health centre

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1929
Author(s):  
Ezhilvathani N. ◽  
Suruthi P. ◽  
Jeiganesh M.
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Positive Family History ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Health Care Centre ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: Poor vision in childhood affects performance in school and has a significant impact on future life of child in terms of education and development. Current study aims at detecting the magnitude and patterns of refractive errors with amblyopia screening so that effective measures can be planned at the right time to minimize the burden.Methods: Hospital based cross sectional study conducted on 200 children between 5-15 years attending the ophthalmology OPD of a tertiary health care centre, Puducherry. Interpretation and data analysis were done by SPSS software version 13.0.Results: Mean age of presentation was 9 years. Female to male ratio in the present study was 1.3:1. Positive family history was noted among 48 children suggesting strong impact of genetic factor in refractive errors. Among 20 children who were already on spectacle correction, the most common refractive error was compound myopic astigmatism. Among 30 children who were diagnosed with amblyopia, 8 children below 8 years of age had improved vision on 1 month follow up of post treatment with spectacles and occlusion therapy and 22 children did not show improvement suggesting amblyopia can be corrected if intervention was instituted before the age of 8 years.Conclusions:Refractive errors with or without amblyopia is a significant cause of childhood visual impairment. Though it is a hospital-based study, the results were in consistent with previously published hospital and population based study. This study also expected to serve as a tool for primary health care physicians to have an overview of magnitude and patterns of refractive errors in children presenting to hospital since refractive error is a significant public health problem worldwide.Background: Poor vision in childhood affects performance in school and has a significant impact on future life of child in terms of education and development. Current study aims at detecting the magnitude and patterns of refractive errors with amblyopia screening so that effective measures can be planned at the right time to minimize the burden.Methods: Hospital based cross sectional study conducted on 200 children between 5-15 years attending the ophthalmology OPD of a tertiary health care centre, Puducherry. Interpretation and data analysis were done by SPSS software version 13.0.Results: Mean age of presentation was 9 years. Female to male ratio in the present study was 1.3:1. Positive family history was noted among 48 children suggesting strong impact of genetic factor in refractive errors. Among 20 children who were already on spectacle correction, the most common refractive error was compound myopic astigmatism. Among 30 children who were diagnosed with amblyopia, 8 children below 8 years of age had improved vision on 1 month follow up of post treatment with spectacles and occlusion therapy and 22 children did not show improvement suggesting amblyopia can be corrected if intervention was instituted before the age of 8 years.Conclusions: Refractive errors with or without amblyopia is a significant cause of childhood visual impairment. Though it is a hospital-based study, the results were in consistent with previously published hospital and population based study. This study also expected to serve as a tool for primary health care physicians to have an overview of magnitude and patterns of refractive errors in children presenting to hospital since refractive error is a significant public health problem worldwide.

scholarly journals Relationship between Visual Impairment and the Use of Electronic Devices in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 512-520
Author(s):  
Nawal Ali Mohd Arishi ◽  
Hoda Jehad Abousada ◽  
Ghada Badr Alghubaini ◽  
Manar Salah Ahmed ◽  
Rahaf Salah Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Study Participants

Background: Overuse of electronic gadgets has been highlighted as a possible preventable risk factor for eyesight loss. Excessive use of electronic gadgets, on the other hand, has been linked to vision impairment in a variety of ways. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study to spotlight on the relationship between visual impairment and addiction to electronic devices use. The study's goal was to see if there was a link between Saudis' vision impairment and their addiction to using electronic devices, this is the suitable design for this research. The study was carried out among Saudi population. Data were collected from general population using questionnaire during the period from 22 August to 22 November 2020. Results: The study included the participation of 344 participants from both genders and different age groups in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There were 211 female participants (61.3%) and 133 males (38.7%) took place in this study. The most prevalent age group was under the age of 25 years (n= 111, 32.3%) followed by the age group 25-35 (n= 104, 30.2%) while the least frequent age group was above 45 years (n= 54, 15.7%). On asking the participants whether they think that they have vision impairment or not, their answers were as follows: yes (n= 156, 45.3%), no (n= 131, 38.1) and maybe (n= 57, 16.6%). Due to the use electronic devices, there were 107 participants complained of headache (31.1%). And this was significantly related to the number of hours spent by study participants using electronic devices (P= 0.002) as well as significant for female gender more than male gender (P= 0.03). Conclusion: The study showed statistically significant relationship between the number of hours spent on using electronic devices and visual impairment among study participants especially among female population more than male population. There is a need for awareness campaigns to increase health awareness among population to cut down the use of electronic devices.

scholarly journals Refractive errors and visual impairment among children and adolescents in southernmost China

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Peng ◽  
Ling Gao ◽  
Yunyan Zheng ◽  
Yanan Dai ◽  
Qing Xie
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
High Myopia ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Spherical Equivalent ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background Refractive errors and visual impairment in southernmost China have not been reported previously. We aim to investigate and determine the age-specific prevalence of myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and visual impairment based on a large population cross-sectional study in Hainan area of southernmost tropical province in China. Methods A population-based sample of 31,524 children aged 6–15 years from Hainan was assessed. Non-cycloplegic autorefraction and visual acuity (VA) analyses were performed on all participants and a subgroup of participants undergoing cycloplegia. Results Of all participants, 23.0% presented uncorrected VA (UCVA) was worse than 20/40 in worse eye, 6.0% presented mild presenting visual acuity impairment (PVAI), 7.0% presented moderate PVAI, 0.2% presented severe PVAI in the better eye, and 46.9% presented abnormal UCVA [worse than 20/25 (≥ 6, < 8 years old) and worse than 20/20 (≥ 8 years and older)] at least in one eye. The overall prevalence of myopia [spherical equivalent (SE) ≤  − 0.50 D] and high myopia (SE ≤  − 6.00 D) were 46.0%, 1.0% respectively. Hyperopia [SE ≥  + 1.00 D (≥ 7 years old) and SE ≥  + 2.00 D (≥ 6, < 7 years old)] and significant hyperopia (SE ≥  + 3.00 D) were 4.2 and 0.6%, respectively. Astigmatism [cylinder ≥ 1.00 D (≥ 7 years old) and ≥ 1.75 D (≥ 6, < 7 years old)] was found in 31.9%. Conclusions Myopia was the most common refractive error in southernmost province in China (Hainan). Its prevalence increased with age, while hyperopia prevalence showed a decreasing trend. However, myopia, especially high myopia prevalence was much lower than in other urban regions across China.

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