Pattern of ocular abnormalities among students attending schools for the hearing impaired in Ibadan, South-West Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: To describe the pattern of ocular abnormalities among students attending schools for the hearing impaired in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study  conducted from February to March 2016 among hearingimpaired students who were older than 10 years. Students were selected from four schools using systematic random sampling. The students’ sociodemographic characteristics, visual complaints, ocular, and family history were recorded using an interviewer-administered semistructured questionnaire. Ocular examination and refraction was conducted on each student. Data were analyzed using IBM-SPSS Statistics for Windows 22 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) with the test of association performed using the chi-square test and level of statistical significance set at P-value <0.05.

Results: A total of 335 students participated in the study. Mean age was 17 ± 2.9 years (range 11–39 years). The prevalence of ocular abnormalities among the  participants was 56.1%. These included allergic conjunctivitis 8 (2.4%), retinitis pigmentosa 3 (0.9%), phthisis bulbi 3 (0.9%), cataract 2 (0.6%), and Wardenburg syndrome 2 (0.6%). Seventy-five (22.4%) respondents were with coexisting ocular abnormalities.

Conclusion: The prevalence of ocular abnormalities was found to be high among the hearing impaired, with refractive error being the most common. It is necessary for the eye care providers and other stakeholders to provide eye health education as well as affordable and accessible eye care services for hearing-impaired students so as to improve their overall quality of life.

Keywords: children, hearing impaired, ocular abnormalities, students, visual impairment