PURPOSE: To describe the commonest visual disorders in a group of poor children attending the Ophthalmology Clinic at the "Instituto Materno-Infantil de Pernambuco (IMIP)". METHODS: Descritive study. A randomly selected sample (n=388) of children under the age of 15, from low-income families, seen at IMIP between February and October 2001. Eye disorders were classifical according to the ICD-10 by ophthalmologists in the clinic. RESULTS: Visual problems related to eye muscular disorders (binocular movement, accommodation, refraction) were detected in most cases (63.9%) and hyperopia and strabismus were the commonest. Disorders of the conjunctiva and eyelid were found in 20% of the cases, followed by choroid and retina (5.1%) and the lens (3.9%). Problems of the sclera, vitreous, congenital glaucoma, blindness and other diseases were less frequent. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of refractive errors and strabismus justifies visual screen test in childhood.
Refractive errors; Visual acuity; Ocular health; Blindness prevention; Amblyopia
