Refractive errors among students of a postprimary institution in a rural community in South-Eastern Nigeria

Objective: To determine the prevalence and types of refractive errors seen among students of Girls' Secondary School, Akegbe Ugwu in Nkanu West Local Government area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Methods: A questionnaire documented the students' personal data, their chief complaints and past ocular history. This was followed by unaided visual acuity assessment then assessment with pinhole, anterior segment examination, fundoscopy, non-cycloplegic objective and subjective refraction in those found to have an unaided visual acuity of less than 6/9 in either eye and improved vision with pinhole. Results: A total of 355 students aged 12 -21 years was tested. Out of these, 9 (2.53%) had uncorrected vision worse than 6/9 in either or both eyes. Uncorrected refractive error accounted for the reduced vision in 7 cases 5 of which were myopia. Conclusion: There is a prevalence of refractive error of 1.97% among students of this rural girls' secondary school in South-Eastern Nigeria. The low prevalence of myopia (1.4%) found agrees with the report that, though the most common refractive cause of visual impairment globally, it is relatively rarer in Africans.