Abstract

Background:
Visual impairment has affected many people around the globe. It is common at every age of life. It had become a prime health issue whereas its health burden is considerably less severe when it is diagnosed at the initial stages. Previous studies have shown certain disease found in children are caused mostly by an uncorrected refractive error. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the patterns of significant refractive errors and elements that are related to it among the male primary school children in the region of Jazan.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among male primary school children of Jazan region, in the Southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Results: A total of 1798 children aged between 6 and 12 years old were included in the study, their mean age was 9.74±1.802 years. For the right eye, more than half (59.0%) of our participated children were emmetrop, 17.6% were myope and 23.4% were hyperopia. While for the left eye 58.2% were emmetrop, 16.9% were myope and 25.0% were hyperopia. The results revealed a statistical correlation between occurrence of astigmatism and myope (p

Key words: refractive errors ; male children ; Jizan