Department of Optometry, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Faculty of Optometry and Visual Sciences, Department of Binocular vision Al-Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan.
East Mediterr Health J. 2023 Jun 27;29(6):482-490. doi: 10.26719/emhj.23.020.
Childhood visual impairment has a significant effect on social life, educational performance, and professional choices, and can lead to poverty.
To review the prevalence and causes of visual impairment among children aged 5-17 years in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).
This study was conducted in 2021 using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta- Analyses (PRISMA) method. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and Medline for studies published between January 2000 and April 2020. The articles included were epidemiological studies of prevalence and causes of childhood visual impairment published in peer-reviewed journals.
Of the 12 705 articles screened, 23 from 9 countries met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of uncorrected, presenting, and best-corrected childhood visual impairment was 11.57%, 8.34% and 1.21%, respectively. The most common causes of childhood visual impairment were refractive error (51.89%), amblyopia (11.15%), retinal disorders (3.90%), corneal opacity (3.0%), and cataract (1.88%). There was a highly significant heterogeneity between the studies (P < 0.0001).
The prevalence of visual impairment among children in the EMR was high, and the leading causes were uncorrected refractive error and amblyopia, which were avoidable. Access to eyecare services may help improve early diagnosis and treatment of preventable causes of childhood visual impairment.
儿童视力障碍对社交生活、教育表现和职业选择有重大影响，并可能导致贫困。
综述东地中海区域（EMR）5-17 岁儿童视力障碍的流行率和病因。
本研究于 2021 年采用系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）方法进行。我们在 Google Scholar、PubMed、Web of Science、Scopus、Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region 和 Medline 上检索了 2000 年 1 月至 2020 年 4 月间发表的关于儿童视力障碍患病率和病因的流行病学研究。纳入的文章为同行评议期刊发表的儿童视力障碍患病率和病因的流行病学研究。
在筛选出的 12705 篇文章中，9 个国家的 23 篇文章符合纳入标准。未矫正、表现和最佳矫正的儿童视力障碍的总患病率分别为 11.57%、8.34%和 1.21%。儿童视力障碍的最常见病因是屈光不正（51.89%）、弱视（11.15%）、视网膜疾病（3.90%）、角膜混浊（3.0%）和白内障（1.88%）。研究之间存在高度显著的异质性（P<0.0001）。
EMR 儿童视力障碍的流行率较高，主要病因是未矫正的屈光不正和弱视，这些病因是可以预防的。获得眼保健服务可能有助于改善儿童视力障碍可预防病因的早期诊断和治疗。
