PURPOSE: To establish the prevalence of the ametropias and eye diseases, in the year 2001, within a preschool and school children in the city of Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: Transversal observational study during an ocular health campaign in public education schools. The children that have shown visual acuity lower than 0.8 or other abnormally were referred by trained volunteers to evaluation by ophthalmologists from the Benjamin Constant Institute. RESULTS: From the 1.800 children who were examined, 609 (33.83%) were referred to the ophthalmologic examination. There were 491 children (27.28% from total and 80.62% from referred) that were dismissed for presenting visual acuity better than 0.8. The Eye diseases prevalence was 3.35% (amblyopia was 2.00%, manifest strabismus was 0.33% and others causes was 1.02%). There was 93 children (5.17 from total and 15.27% from referred) that had refractive errors and needed glasses. CONCLUSION: It was shown the prevalence of the main ophthalmologic children disorders. It also points out the need of ocular health campaigns thus achieve remarkably the development of the children visual acuity.
Eye diseases; Amblyopia; Strabismus; School health; Health promotion; Child, preschool; Child
