Prevalence of Refractive errors among Primary School Pupils in Kilungu Division of Makueni District, Kenya

Abstract

Objective: To determine the magnitude and pattern of significant refractive errors in primary school children in Kilungu division of Makueni District, Kenya.
Design: A cross – sectional primary school based study.
Setting: Eight (8) Primary school in Kilungu division of Makueni District, Kenya.
Target population: 1439 Primary school pupils aged between 12 and 15 years.
Results: The prevalence of significant refractive error was 5.2%, 75/1439, (95% CI) being responsible for 92.6 % of all causes of poor eyesight. Hypermetropia accounted for 3.2% (95% CI), myopia 1.7% (95% CI) and astigmatism 0.3% (95% CI) of refractive errors. Myopia was more likely to be present in the pupils aged 14 to 15 years than those aged 12 to 13 years with OR 2.9 (0.1 – 9.2) which was statistically significant (p = 0.022).
Conclusion: The overall prevalence of significant refractive errors in pupils aged 12 to 15 years in Makueni's Kilungu division at 5.2% (95% CI) was high enough to justify a regular school eye screening in primary schools in Kenya.

Keywords: Refractive errors, Children, Prevalence, Kenya