Prevalence of refractive errors and the factors related to it among madrassa students in district Sialkot.

Abstract

Objectives: Refractive errors (RE) comprise visual impairment arising from the decreased ability of eye to focus light on retina that has become one of the most common problems among school going children and is the second leading cause of treatable blindness among them.1 RE remains unquantified in Pakistan, especially among madrassa students who are further neglected due to lack of school health services. Keeping this in mind the following study was conducted to find the prevalence of RE among Madrassa students aged 5 to 15 years in Sialkot and the factors related to it. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Out of three registered madrassas in Sialkot city, only one allowed access to the team. The team consisted of an ophthalmology professor, two opticians, four interviewers and the researchers. Period: Six months from February 2018 till July 2018. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study was designed by randomly selecting 168 students out of a total of 520 madrassa students who were all tested for RE, the selected students were then interviewed on a semi structured, pre-tested closed ended questionnaire after seeking permission from the parents and madrassa heads. Factors like illumination, distance while reading and watching screen were recorded on a checklist. The data was analyzed in SPSS 21 and P value <0.05 was taken significant. Results: 31.5% of students had errors of refraction. 81.1% were myopic, 7.6% were hyperopic and 11.3% were astigmatic. Near distance reading/screen, positive family history, longer time studying in madrassa and insufficient illumination were the significant factors related to RE. Conclusion: This study showed a dire need of awareness in screening the potential cause for blindness among madrassa students.

Exploring eye care pathways, patient priorities and economics in Pakistan: A scoping review and expert consultation study with thematic analysis

“…The theme of eye care pathways encompassed 38 studies 6,108–142,144,149 and 9 other relevant documents 15,107,143,145–148,150,151 and overlaped considerably with the other themes. This theme directly relates back to our research question where we aim to explore the evidence surrounding eye care pathways in Pakistan.…”

“…The majority of studies under this theme reported on screening programmes 108–110,112,114–117,119,127–130,132,134–141 . Papers reporting on the prevalence of DR in Pakistan have expressed the need for organised and consistent DR screening programmes 111,112,114,121,125,128,130,135,143,151 .…”

“…15,107,122 The majority of studies under this theme reported on screening programmes. [108][109][110]112,[114][115][116][117]119,[127][128][129][130]132,[134][135][136][137][138][139][140][141] Papers reporting on the prevalence of DR in Pakistan have expressed the need for organised and consistent DR screening programmes. 111,112,114,121,125,128,130,135,143,151 Other screening services available in the country include school screening 109,116,129,133,136,138,139 and screening for cataracts through the use of eye camps.…”

“…59 Barriers to implementation of tasksharing were also explored. Jamal and Chaudhry 64 noted potentially conflicting interests affecting the realisation Screening programmes 21 (108,109,110,112,114,115,116,117,119,(127)(128)(129)(130)132,133,135,136,(138)(139)(140)(141) Screening services have been used to examine ocular health and refractive errors amongst school children. 109,116,129,133,136,138,140 Attempts have also been made to provide eye care through the indigenous educational system in Pakistan: the madaris.…”

“…109,116,129,133,136,138,140 Attempts have also been made to provide eye care through the indigenous educational system in Pakistan: the madaris. 110,127,146 District comprehensive eye care services and screening programmes in Pakistan are largely being implemented in the Punjab province, when compared with the remaining six provinces. 0.60 (0.13) Management of chronic eye conditions 10 (6,111,119,120,125,128,131,135,139,151) The frequency of DR in a military hospital (28.67%), was lower than that reported in other studies.…”