Prevalence of Low Visual Acuity in children from public schools in Northeast of Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of Low Visual Acuity (LVA) in public school students in Feira de Santana (FSA), Bahia (BA). METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional, exploratory study. The sample consisted of schoolchildren from the 2nd to the 4th grade of five public schools in FSA/BA. Data collection was carried out in the schools themselves, with a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire applied and Visual Acuity (VA) measured using the Snellen E optotype chart. LVA was defined as uncorrected VA < 20/25 in at least one eye. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 358 children, with a median age of 9 [8-10] years, of which 189 (52.9%) were female. 248 (69.3%) individuals had never been to an ophthalmologist. LVA was found in 105 (29.3%) schoolchildren, and of these, 7.6% (8/105) current used glasses. Factors associated with LVA were female gender and white ethnicity. LVA was evidenced in 60 (31.7%) schoolchildren with excessive screen use and in 35 (25.5%) without excessive use (OR 1.35; 95% CI 0.83 - 2.19, p = 0.222), and excessive screen use was associated with visual signs/symptoms such as tearing and eye itching. CONCLUSION: LVA was observed in approximately 30% of children in public schools in the interior of Bahia, and less than 10% of these current used glasses. Our study reinforces the importance of visual screening of schoolchildren through active search in our region and the creation of strategies to facilitate access to ophthalmological consultations and glasses.