A Prospective Study of Pattern of Ocular Morbidity in School Going Children in aTertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Ocular diseases affect every individual in this world, with the only difference being in the pattern of occurrence of disease depending on age, sex, region, and climatic conditions. Children are susceptible to many ocular diseases, especially those who are malnourished and living in unhygienic conditions. The pattern of ocular diseases varies, depending on whether they are living in developed countries or developing countries. Certain ocular diseases in children can lead to blindness or visual impairment, which can directly affect their growth and development.Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Inpatient Department of Ophthalmology in Santhiram Medical College, Nandyala for duration of one year from January 2019 to December 2019. All the patients less than 15 years of age admitted in the IPD during the study period constituted our study population. Thus complete enumeration method was applied. Informed verbal consent was taken from guardians of all children admitted for inclusion in the study. A total of 136 children were included in the study. Data was collected by using a semi structured questionnaire and also from the clinical records. Results: A total of 136 children were admitted during the study period in the Ophthalmology Department of Santhiram Medical College. The age range was from 1to 13 years. Mean age of the study participants was 7.308 ± 3.7008years. High frequency group was 6 -10 years which constituted 42.6%. There were 84 males (61.8%) and 52 females (38.2%). Male preponderance was noted. 28(41.2%) of respondents’ mother were illiterate and maximum 34 (50%) of participants’ mother were Home maker. Conclusion: The present study suggests that ocular injuries are one of the important causes of childhood ocular morbidity, which cause avoidable blindness and these can be avoided by adopting various protective measures. In majority of ocular injuries children are not responsible for their actions. Information, education and communication (IEC) activities should be carried out to educate parents and guardians regarding the home safety measures & preparation of safe environment for their children.

Keywords: Ocular diseases, IEC, Children.