Title : Burden of ocular morbidities among school going children in Central India
Abstract:
Background and Aims: Childhood ocular morbidities are a significant global public health concern, contributing substantially to preventable visual impairment and negatively impacting a child’s academic and developmental potential. This observational study aimed to determine the overall prevalence and specific pattern of various eye disorders among a large cohort of school-going children in the field practice area of a medical college in Central India. Furthermore, a crucial objective was to compare these health patterns across socio-economic strata, specifically between government and private schools.
Methods: An observational study was carried out in seven schools (five government and two private). A cohort of 2,216 students (aged 6–16 years) was screened by trained medical student-supervisors. Assessments included measurement of visual acuity (Snellen charts with pinhole), color vision (Ishihara plates), and examination for strabismus and anterior segment disorders. Students with suspected abnormalities were referred for detailed evaluation at a tertiary care center. Data analysis utilized the Chi-square test to determine statistical significance between subgroups.
Results: The overall prevalence of any ocular morbidity was 12.9% (286/2216). Uncorrected Refractive Error (URE) was identified as the single most common condition, affecting 9.5% of the screened population. URE prevalence was significantly higher in females, while congenital color vision deficiency was more common in males (P<0.05 for both). Crucially, Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) was detected in 1.1% of children and was observed exclusively in government school students, with no cases found in private schools (P=0.0004), highlighting a stark socio-nutritional disparity. The overall prevalence of visual impairment was 2.8%, and the majority of conditions (96%) were classified as preventable or treatable.
Conclusions: The study confirms a substantial public health burden of ocular morbidities in Central India, led primarily by Uncorrected Refractive Error (URE). The finding that Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is confined exclusively to government school children is the most critical revelation, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted, evidence-based nutritional intervention and socio-economic support programs in these settings. Given that 96% of identified conditions are treatable, the results advocate for a more robust and frequently deployed School Health Program to ensure timely spectacle provision and treatment for other ocular disorders. Future public health strategies must move beyond general screening to address the specific health and nutritional inequities exposed between private and government school populations to prevent permanent visual impairment and improve educational outcomes in vulnerable groups.
