They see, they learn: Pre-COVID-19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of North India
Purpose: India has the largest population of youth in the world, thereby making them important contributors to the “India of Tomorrow”. Over 80% of knowledge gained is by the visual sense, thereby making school screening programs a necessity in our country. Data from the pre-COVID era, that is, 2017...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Ophthalmology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ijo.in/article.asp?issn=0301-4738;year=2023;volume=71;issue=3;spage=946;epage=950;aulast=Sethi |
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| author | Aditya Sethi Arun Sethi Reena Sethi Sahebaan Sethi Vaibhav Sethi Parul Lokwani Manisha Chilwade |
| author_facet | Aditya Sethi Arun Sethi Reena Sethi Sahebaan Sethi Vaibhav Sethi Parul Lokwani Manisha Chilwade |
| author_sort | Aditya Sethi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose: India has the largest population of youth in the world, thereby making them important contributors to the “India of Tomorrow”. Over 80% of knowledge gained is by the visual sense, thereby making school screening programs a necessity in our country. Data from the pre-COVID era, that is, 2017–18 was collected from close to 19,000 children in Gurugram, Haryana, a tier two city in National Capital Region, India. A similar prospective observational study is planned post COVID-19 (2022–23) for further analysis to depict the impact of COVID-19 in these areas. Methods: The program They See, They Learn was set at government schools in the area of operations (district of Gurgaon, Haryana), where the children and their families were unable to afford eye care services. All children who were screened underwent a comprehensive eye examination at the school premises itself. Results: A total of 18,939 students were screened over a period of 18 months, covering a total of 39 schools in the Gurugram belt, in the first phase of the program. Eleven point eight percent (n = 2254) of all school students had some form of refractive error. Girl students were found to have a higher refractive error rate (13.3%) compared to boy students (10.1%) across the schools screened. Myopia was the most common type of refractive error. Conclusion: School students require perfect vision or else they can be discouraged and may become a major burden to the economy of any developing nation. A school screening program aiming at populations that cannot afford such basic needs like spectacles is a must in all zones of the country. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:35:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-35d18c2bca264c108dedeb1a7e6d690c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0301-4738 1998-3689 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:35:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Ophthalmology |
| spelling | doaj.art-35d18c2bca264c108dedeb1a7e6d690c2023-05-18T06:11:44ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Ophthalmology0301-47381998-36892023-01-0171394695010.4103/ijo.IJO_1174_22They see, they learn: Pre-COVID-19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of North IndiaAditya SethiArun SethiReena SethiSahebaan SethiVaibhav SethiParul LokwaniManisha ChilwadePurpose: India has the largest population of youth in the world, thereby making them important contributors to the “India of Tomorrow”. Over 80% of knowledge gained is by the visual sense, thereby making school screening programs a necessity in our country. Data from the pre-COVID era, that is, 2017–18 was collected from close to 19,000 children in Gurugram, Haryana, a tier two city in National Capital Region, India. A similar prospective observational study is planned post COVID-19 (2022–23) for further analysis to depict the impact of COVID-19 in these areas. Methods: The program They See, They Learn was set at government schools in the area of operations (district of Gurgaon, Haryana), where the children and their families were unable to afford eye care services. All children who were screened underwent a comprehensive eye examination at the school premises itself. Results: A total of 18,939 students were screened over a period of 18 months, covering a total of 39 schools in the Gurugram belt, in the first phase of the program. Eleven point eight percent (n = 2254) of all school students had some form of refractive error. Girl students were found to have a higher refractive error rate (13.3%) compared to boy students (10.1%) across the schools screened. Myopia was the most common type of refractive error. Conclusion: School students require perfect vision or else they can be discouraged and may become a major burden to the economy of any developing nation. A school screening program aiming at populations that cannot afford such basic needs like spectacles is a must in all zones of the country.http://www.ijo.in/article.asp?issn=0301-4738;year=2023;volume=71;issue=3;spage=946;epage=950;aulast=Sethiastigmatismhypermetropiamyopiarefractive error prevalenceschool screening |
| spellingShingle | Aditya Sethi Arun Sethi Reena Sethi Sahebaan Sethi Vaibhav Sethi Parul Lokwani Manisha Chilwade They see, they learn: Pre-COVID-19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of North India Indian Journal of Ophthalmology astigmatism hypermetropia myopia refractive error prevalence school screening |
| title | They see, they learn: Pre-COVID-19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of North India |
| title_full | They see, they learn: Pre-COVID-19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of North India |
| title_fullStr | They see, they learn: Pre-COVID-19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of North India |
| title_full_unstemmed | They see, they learn: Pre-COVID-19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of North India |
| title_short | They see, they learn: Pre-COVID-19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of North India |
| title_sort | they see they learn pre covid 19 prevalence of refractive errors in school children in suburban areas of north india |
| topic | astigmatism hypermetropia myopia refractive error prevalence school screening |
| url | http://www.ijo.in/article.asp?issn=0301-4738;year=2023;volume=71;issue=3;spage=946;epage=950;aulast=Sethi |
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