Myopia in secondary school students in Mwanza City, Tanzania: the need for a national screening programme.
Wedner, SH;
Ross, DA;
Todd, J;
Anemona, A;
Balira, R;
Foster, A;
(2002)
Myopia in secondary school students in Mwanza City, Tanzania: the need for a national screening programme.
The British journal of ophthalmology, 86 (11).
pp. 1200-1206.
ISSN 0007-1161
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.86.11.1200
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BACKGROUND/AIMS: The prevalence of significant refractive errors and other eye diseases was measured in 2511 secondary school students aged 11-27 years in Mwanza City, Tanzania. Risk factors for myopia were explored. METHODS: A questionnaire assessed the students' socioeconomic background and exposure to near work followed by visual acuity assessment and a full eye examination. Non-cycloplegic objective and subjective refraction was done on all participants with visual acuity of worse than 6/12 in either eye without an obvious cause. RESULTS: 154 (6.1%) students had significant refractive errors. Myopia was the leading refractive error (5.6%). Amblyopia (0.4%), strabismus (0.2%), and other treatable eye disorders were uncommon. Only 30.3% of students with significant refractive errors wore spectacles before the survey. Age, sex, ethnicity, father's educational status, and a family history of siblings with spectacles were significant independent risk factors for myopia. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of uncorrected significant refractive errors is high enough to justify a regular school eye screening programme in secondary schools in Tanzania. Risk factors for myopia are similar to those reported in European, North-American, and Asian populations.
