Prevalence of refractive error and other eye diseases in schoolchildren in the Greater Accra region of Ghana

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of refractive error and other eye diseases in schoolchildren in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Methods: Research assistants tested visual acuity (VA) using a Snellen chart in students randomly selected from 24 schools (ie, 8 metropolitan, 8 urban, and 8 rural). An ophthalmologist examined students with VA of 6/12 or worse in either eye and students with other eye problems. Results: Nine hundred fifty-seven students aged 6 to 22 years were screened: 67 had myopia with VA of 6/12 or worse in the better eye, 3 were unilaterally blind (2 from squint or amblyopia, 1 from a hypoplastic disk), and 4 had unilateral low vision from macular scars. Other eye diseases observed were congenital glaucoma (1), vernal conjunctivitis (2), and infective conjunctivitis (6). The prevalence of refractive error reducing vision to at least 6/12 was 7.0%. The prevalence of squint and amblyopia was 0.2%. Conclusion: The most common eye defect in the students was refractive error. Squint and amblyopia were rare.