Proportion and patterns of ocular disorders among under‐five children in Khartoum State, Sudan: A cross‐sectional study

In addition to physical wellbeing, healthy development of a child is when social, emotional and educational needs are met. 1 Ocular diseases among children are related to prenatal-, neonatal-, or childhood-underlying causes. 2 Ocular diseases at a young age might significantly affect children's development and eventually interfere with their quality of life. 3–7 Visual defects and blindness among young children are a major concern, as they have numerous negative impacts on individuals, the community, and the country. [...]the majority of young children never get an eye examination. The majority of ocular disorders such as amblyopia, unilateral blindness, and strabismus occur at a young age and is the reason why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends visual screening programs for children younger than 5 years to ensure early detection and appropriate interventions, which, in turn, result in a better quality of life. 12 The objective of this research was to study the epidemiological patterns of ocular morbidity among children younger than 5 years old at three tertiary eye hospitals. STUDY POPULATION AND DATA COLLECTION Patient records of all children younger than 16 years old who attended any of the three hospitals, for any complaint, in 2019 were retrieved (n = 10,886) to collect those of under 5 years of age to estimate their proportion and later to study the pattern of ocular disorder.