Prevalence of Refractive Errors in Children in Equatorial Guinea
AUTHOR:
Soler, M., Anera, R.G., Castro, J.J., Jiménez, R. And Jiménez, J.R.
SPONSOR/INSTITUTION:
YEAR PUBLISHED:
2015
PUBLICATION:
Optometry and Vision Science
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
The purpose of this study was to assess the epidemiological aspects of the refractive errors in school-aged children in Malabo (Island of Bioko), Equatorial Guinea (western-central Africa).
This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 425 schoolchildren aged 6 to 16 years in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
The prevalence of myopia (10.4%) found in children from Equatorial Guinea is low.
Unilateral myopia was found in 44 children (10.4%), whereas bilateral myopia was diagnosed in 22 children (5.2%).
Hyperopia in at least one eye was found in 13 children (3.1%), whereas binocularly 7 children were affected (1.6%).
There was a low prevalence of myopia with significantly higher values in those who attended private schools while astigmatism was the most frequent refractive error.