Prevalence of eye diseases in primary school children in a rural area of Tanzania
Susanne H Wednera, David A Rossa b, Rebecca Balirab, Lucas Kajic, Allen Fostera
a Infectious and
Tropical Diseases Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, London, UK, b Mwanza Research Centre, National
Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania, c Ministry of Health, Tanzania
Correspondence to: Dr Susanne Wedner, c/o Eloise Turner, Clinical Research Unit, LSHTM, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK susannewedner{at}hotmail.com
Accepted for publication 28 April 2000
AIMS
The study
measured the prevalence of eye diseases in primary school children
between 7 and 19 years of age in a rural area of Tanzania, and
investigated whether teachers could successfully provide the first
component of a school eye screening service.
METHODSTeachers from
each of three primary schools in Mwanza Region tested visual acuity
using a Snellen's E chart in 1438 pupils. 1386 of these pupils were
then interviewed and underwent a full eye examination by an eye team.
RESULTS10 pupils
(0.7%) had bilateral poor eyesight (visual acuity worse than 6/12),
and an additional 14 pupils (1.0%) had unilateral poor eyesight.
Significant refractive errors causing visual acuity less than 6/12
(1.0%), strabismus (0.5%), and amblyopia (0.2%) were uncommon.
Overall, 76 pupils (5.5%) had active trachoma, though the prevalence
was 15.5% in the poorest school. 73 pupils (5.3%) reported night
blindness, eight (0.6%) had Bitot's spots, and 11 (0.8%) had corneal
scars. Simple screening by teachers correctly identified 80% of the
pupils who were found to have bilateral poor eyesight by the eye team,
with 91% specificity.
CONCLUSIONThe
prevalence of significant refractive errors was not high enough to
justify a school eye screening programme solely for this purpose.
However, a programme may be justified in areas where trachoma is
common. Further research is needed to validate the frequent reports of
night blindness and to establish the public health importance of
vitamin A deficiency in this age group.
© 2000 by British Journal of Ophthalmology
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