ArticleCureus2024
Prevalence of Refractive Errors Among School-Going Children in Urban Versus Rural Areas.
Article in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Perceived barriers to eye care use among secondary school students with pinhole-improvable reduced visual acuity in two schools in Kampala, Uganda: a cross-sectional study.Annals of medicine · 2026Article
- Urban-Rural and School-Type Disparities in the Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia in South India.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026Article
- Current status of vision and refractive errors among children and adolescents in northeast Sichuan, China: a school-based cross-sectional study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Factors influencing refractive status distribution and amblyopia in preschool children with low vision.American journal of translational research · 2026Article
- Article
- Vision screening of school-aged children in Wuqia County: a cross-sectional study in western China.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Prevalence of Refractive Errors Among Children at a Tertiary Care Center in Karnataka: A Cross-Sectional Study.Cureus · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe most common cause of visual impairment globally is refractive error. The prevalence of refractive error has been on the rise since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, possibly due to increased indoor activities and excessive use of electronic devices. Impaired vision during childhood can affect the overall development of a child adversely, and it often remains unreported due to the inability of children to complain about impaired vision.
aimThe main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of refractive errors among school-going children in urban and rural areas.
methodsThis was a cross-sectional study that included 2024 children going to schools situated in urban and rural areas. All study subjects were tested for visual acuity for distance using Snellen's chart with and without glasses after taking a brief history regarding visual complaints. All children who had visual acuity less than 6/6 on Snellen's chart underwent refraction check-ups. Retinoscopy was performed in all study subjects. Analysis of the collected data was done using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0 (Released 2007; SPSS Inc., Chicago, United States). The analysis of numerical data was done by an unpaired t-test, and the analysis of categorical data was done by a chi-square test. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
resultsThe mean age of the children was 10.92 ± 2.73 years, with 10.93 ± 2.73 years in urban and 10.91 ± 2.73 years in rural groups. Females (n=1031; 50.93%) were more in number than males (n=993; 49.06%). The overall prevalence of refractive error was 17.43%. The prevalence was higher in urban areas (22.14%) than in rural areas (12.71%). The age group below 10 years comprised 886 (43.77%) study subjects, and 218 (62.1%) children with refractive error had no ocular complaints. The most common refractive error found in this study was simple myopia in both groups, and the least common was astigmatism. The prevalence of uncorrected refractive error was higher in urban school-going children as compared to rural children.
conclusionThe prevalence of refractive error was 17.43% in our study. The prevalence was high in urban areas (22.67%) as compared to rural areas (13.12%). Regular screening of school-going children for refractive errors should be done. Also, awareness regarding the use of electronic gadgets must be raised, especially among urban children.
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