Low Visual Acuity Among Children in Public Schools in the Northeast of Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective This study describes the prevalence of low visual acuity (LVA) in public school students from a city in the interior of the Northeast region of Brazil. Methods This was an observational, cross-sectional, exploratory study. The sample consisted of schoolchildren from the second to the fourth grade of five public schools in Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. Data collection was carried out in the schools themselves, with a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire applied and visual acuity (VA) measured using the Snellen "E" optotype chart. LVA was defined as uncorrected VA < 20/25 in at least one eye. Results The sample consisted of 358 children, with a median age of nine (IQR 8-10) years, of which 189 (52.9%) were female, and 169 (47.2%) were male. A total of 248 (69.3%) individuals had never been to an ophthalmologist. LVA was found in 105 (29.3%) schoolchildren, and of these, 7.6% (8/105) currently used glasses. Factors associated with LVA were female gender and white ethnicity. LVA was evidenced in 60 (31.7%) schoolchildren with excessive screen use and in 35 (25.5%) without excessive use (OR 1.35; 95% CI 0.83-2.19, p = 0.222), and excessive screen use was associated with visual signs/symptoms such as tearing and eye itching. Conclusion LVA was observed in approximately 30% (n = 105) of children in public schools in the interior of Bahia, and less than 10% of these children used glasses. Our study reinforces the importance of visual screening of schoolchildren through active search in our region and the creation of strategies to facilitate access to ophthalmological consultations and glasses.