Prevalence of visual disorders in school children

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the epidemiological profile of visual acuity (VA) dysfunction, the possible ocular disorders and the frequency of ophthalmologic care of school children from the city of Itaúna, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a population of 432 students in the public schools. The individuals were evaluated by the Snellen method and the sample age ranged from 4 to 17 years. Data were collected and systematized. Those who had VA ≤ 0.7 in at least one eye were referred to the ophthalmology service. Results: Of the 432 students evaluated in this study, 14.5% presented low VA, when evaluated by the Snellen test. Of these, 61.9% were female. The age group with the highest prevalence of low vision were schoolchildren aged 15 to 17 years. The majority presented alteration in both eyes and 60% of the evaluated students stated that they had never had an ophthalmological consultation. Of the students who attended the consultations, most were diagnosed with refractive errors and needed optical correction. Conclusion: The results showed that a significant portion of the individuals evaluated had low vision and required ophthalmologic referral. In addition, there was no previous ophthalmological consultation in most of the schoolchildren. This fact reinforces to public health agencies, the need to implement visual screening systems in schools and offer assistance to these students, with the aim of improvements in their learning and quality of life