Ocular status of children with disabilities in special schools in southern district of Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Good ocular health is paramount for optimal childhood development. Vision, which is the primary function of the eyes, plays a fundamental role in the acquisition of skills such as language, interpreting facial expressions and skills requiring hand-eye coordination.In every child, much of knowledge and skills are obtained through the senses of sight and hearing.For children with disabilities, vision has been noted to play an integral role in their psychosocial development, as well as compensates for certain impaired functions.The objective of this study was to determine ocular status of children with disabilities other than visual disabilities attending special schools in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study on the ocular status of children with disabilities other than visual disabilities attending special education schools in Calabar Municipal Local Government Area, Southern district, Cross River State, Nigeria was performed. Data were obtained using interviewer-administered questionnaires on the caregivers and ocular examination of the children which included visual acuity, refraction, ocular alignment, motility tests and funduscopy. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20. Results: A total of 161 children with disabilities (other than visual disabilities) out of the 176 enrolled were examined yielding a 91.5% response rate. The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1. Their age range was 5-17 years with the mean age of 12.9 ± 3.3 years and a modal age group of ≥13 years. The common types of disability encountered were hearing disability 45 (28%), developmental disability 38 (24%) and multiple disabilities 35 (21.9%). 71% of the children had at least one form of ocular disorder. The most common ocular disorders seen in these children were refractive errors (46.1%) and optic atrophy (12.0%). Of the 161 children examined, only 11 (6.8%) have had ocular evaluation in the past. Conclusion: Ocular disorders are common in children with other disabilities. However, only a few are opportune to have ophthalmic evaluation. Therefore, strategies regarding increasing awareness, mandatory ocular examination and early detection as well as treatment of the ocular disorders are urgently needed.