Purpose
Assess prevalence and causes of vision impairment among low–middle income school children in São Paulo.
Methods
Cluster sampling was used to obtain a random sample of children ages 11 to 14 years from public schools (grades 5–8) in three districts from June to November 2005. The examination included visual acuity testing, ocular motility, and examination of the external eye, anterior segment, and media. Cycloplegic refraction and fundus examination were performed in children with uncorrected visual acuity 20/40 or worse in either eye. A principal cause of visual impairment was determined for eyes with uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse.
Results
A total of 2825 children were enumerated and 2441 (86.4%) were examined. The prevalence of uncorrected, presenting, and best-corrected visual acuity 20/40 or worse in the better eye was 4.82%, 2.67%, and 0.41%, respectively. Spectacles were used by 144 (5.9%) children. Refractive error was a cause in 76.8% of children with visual impairment in one or both eyes; amblyopia, 11.4%; retinal disorders, 5.9%; other causes, 2.7%; and unexplained causes, 7.7%. Myopic visual impairment (spherical equivalent −0.50 D in one or both eyes) was not associated with age or grade level, but female sex was marginally significant (P = 0.070). Hyperopic visual impairment (+2.00 D or more) was not associated with age, grade level, or sex.
Conclusions
The prevalence of reduced vision in low–middle income urban São Paulo school children was low, most of it because of uncorrected refractive error. Cost-effective strategies are needed to address this easily treated cause of vision impairment.
Foram estudados 71 pacientes com glaucoma do desenvolvimen to, divididos em 2 grupos (I e II).42% dos pacientes fo ram tratados com oclusão, enquanto que 58% não eram amblíopes.Comparou-se a acuidade visual dos dois grupos, podendo-se de duzir que os pacientes com glaucoma congênito (grupo I) apresen tam um pior prognóstico visual que os pacientes com glaucoma in fantil (grupo II).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.