Prevalence of Binocular Vision Anomalies and Refractive Error Among High School Students in Southern Trinidad: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of binocular vision anomalies and refractive errors among secondary school students in Southern Trinidad.

Methods: A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted in two schools in southern Trinidad. Participants were randomly selected using an online spinner wheel. Refractive errors and binocular vision anomalies were assessed using handheld autorefractor and prism cover test respectively. Data on demographic information, refractive errors, and binocular vision were collected. The collected data were entered into Microsoft Excel and subsequently analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics were computed using Pearson's Chi-Squared test to analyse categorical variables, while Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between variables, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results: The study included 95 students, with 49 males (51.6%) and 46 females (48.4%), aged 12-18 years. The prevalence of binocular vision anomalies was 13.7% (13/95), with convergence insufficiency being the most common anomaly at 6.2%. Refractive errors were observed in 64.2% (61/95). of the participants, with myopia being the predominant type, affecting 54.2% of students. Spearman's rank correlation test revealed no statistically significant correlation between binocular vision anomalies and refractive errors.

Conclusion: The study identified a prevalence of 13.7% for binocular vision anomalies and 64.2% for refractive errors among secondary school students in Southern Trinidad. There is a need for a more comprehensive screening of binocular vision anomalies and refractive error for high school children in Trinidad.