Prevalence of Refractive Errors among the Madrassah Students of Karachi and Sukkur

Abstract

Background: Visual impairment caused by refractive errors is one of the most common issues faced by school-age children. Despite ongoing developments in access to health care, multiple factors, including awareness and recognition of issue, still contribute to persistence of uncorrected refractive errors especially among madrasah students. Many studies have estimated the prevalence of refractive errors in school-going children but data from madrassahs are lacking so this study aims to find the prevalence of refractive errors in madrassahs of Karachi.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of refractive errors among the students of five registered madrassahs in Karachi and Sukkur.

Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in five madrassahs across Karachi and Sukkur, during August 2024 to December 2024. After taking approval from Institutional Review Board, informed consent and assent were obtained for each participant.  In children aged 7–15 years, Subjective refraction was performed using standard Snellen's visual acuity chart at 6 meters’ distance. Individuals identified as ametropic during subjective refraction were subsequently referred for objective refraction.

Results: Refractive errors are more common in females than males (p <0.05), and in urban population than rural ones (p <0.05). Myopia was found to the most common refractive error (57.7%) followed by astigmatism (22.1%) and then hypermetropia (20.1%).

Conclusion: Screening Madrassah children for refractive errors is crucial due to the high prevalence and prolonged near-work associated with their curriculum.