Prevalence and causes of reduced visual acuity among children aged three to six years in a metropolis in China

Abstract

The burden of reduced VA in preschool children in China was similar to that of Asian children of similar ages in the United States. Uncorrected refractive error and amblyopia were the principal causes for reduced VA among preschoolers (aged three to 6 years) in China.

Prevalence of reduced visual acuity among preschool children in eastern China and comparison at a 5‐year interval

“…To our knowledge, changes in prevalence of reduced VA in preschoolers, which can reflect needs for paediatric vision care in a certain area in the past years, have not been described. In the Nanjing Pediatric Vision Project (NPVP) carried out by our research group in 2011 that enrolled 2486 children aged 48 to 60 months, we reported the prevalence of reduced PVA of 3.70% and 1.73% in the worse eye and better eye, respectively . In 2016, we conducted the comprehensive eye exam in the Nanjing Eye Study (NES) in the same age group of preschoolers of the same area using the standardized study protocol as our previous NPVP.…”

Myopia among school students in rural China (Yunnan)

“…Myopia is a global public health concern associated with reduced vision and increased risks of vision‐threatening ocular complications such as retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, age‐related cataract and glaucoma . Myopia has generally been misconstrued to be a benign disorder.…”

Diagnostic accuracy and agreement between visual acuity charts for detecting significant refractive errors in preschoolers

“…Any eye with presenting visual acuity < 0.3 logMAR or 6/12 with the E chart was considered to be reduced vision . The E chart was chosen as it is the most common visual acuity chart used for this age group in developing countries …”

“…If ocular disorders that hamper vision are not rectified, they can go on to impair the educational potential of the child entering school . Additionally, these disorders can affect neurodevelopment, quality of life and overall progress in childhood …”

“…Visual acuity values could be influenced by the concentration, co‐operation and the cognitive abilities of the child . The role of ethnicity and socio‐economic status on visual acuity measurements and the need for population‐specific norms have been highlighted in the literature . Vision charts used in the developed world may not be directly applicable to the Indian population due to culture‐specific clues and a diverse educational system, as reported by Paul et al There is a lack of published literature on the diagnostic accuracy of vision charts in detecting significant refractive errors of preschoolers across the globe.…”