Screening of pre-school and school children for ocular anomalies in Lesotho.

One thousand two hundred and ninety-six pre-school and school children were examined in the first screening programme for ocular anomalies in Maseru, Lesotho. One hundred and eighteen children (8.9%) were found to have significant ocular anomalies requiring treatment. The most common anomalies included refractive errors, squint, convergence insufficiency, amblyopia, vernalis, lid abnormalities, leukoma cornea, and cataract. The importance of school screening for ocular anomalies in a developing African nation is emphasized.