ABSTRACT
The pattern of ocular diseases among secondary school children refers to the prevalence and types of eye conditions that affect this age group. Common ocular diseases in secondary school children may include visual impairments like amblyopia (lazy eye), conjunctivitis (pink eye), strabismus, Vitamin A deficiency , Color vision deficiency and visual refractive errors such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (longsightedness ) and astigmatism.Regular eye exams and early detection are crucial to address these issues and ensure students have optimal vision for learning. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of ocular diseases and their pattern among secondary school children in Ugbowo, Benin City, Edo State. A descriptive cross sectional study consisting of 200 participants was conducted. Case history, visual acuity, external examination, ophthalmoscopy and colour vision tests were conducted on the participants. Data gotten was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22.0, variables were summarized using frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation as descriptive statistics. The result revealed that the prevalence of refractive error which was uncorrected was 77.5% followed by suspicious disc 15.5%, allergic conjunctivitis 12.5% and bacterial conjunctivitis 3% respectively . In conclusion, the results of the study showed that there was a high incidence of uncorrected refractive error (hyperopia) among the students, allergic conjuctivitis was found to be the least prevalent disease. The results of the statistical analysis showed that since the calculated value x 2 value (12.8) is greater than the critical value (3.841), we therefore accept the alternate hypothesis and conclude that refractive error has significant effect on the pattern of ocular diseases distribution. P<0.05. Also since the calculated x2 value is less than 0.05, we can conclude that gender (female gender particularly) has significant effect on the pattern of ocular diseases distribution. P< 0.05. Also, we concluded that age has significant effect on the pattern of ocular diseases distribution (13- 15 years particularly).From the study, it was inferred that lack of preschool screening have contributed to the prevalence of ocular diseases.
