Vision impairment in boys recruited to the iREAD study
Abstract Background Uncorrected refractive error is reported to be the most common cause globally of vision impairment in school age children. However, little is known about the extent of uncorrected refractive error in Israel. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of vision im...
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Israel Journal of Health Policy Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-025-00667-7 |
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| author | Jonathan Levine Ravid Doron Lisa A. Ostrin Einat Shneor |
| author_facet | Jonathan Levine Ravid Doron Lisa A. Ostrin Einat Shneor |
| author_sort | Jonathan Levine |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Uncorrected refractive error is reported to be the most common cause globally of vision impairment in school age children. However, little is known about the extent of uncorrected refractive error in Israel. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of vision impairment in schoolchildren recruited for the Israel Refraction, Environment, And Devices (iREAD) Study. Methods Healthy boys, ages 5–13 years, were recruited to participate in the iREAD Study. Parents first answered a questionnaire to exclude children with a known history of amblyopia, strabismus, or hyperopia. A comprehensive eye exam was then performed. Presenting visual acuity < 6/12 was defined as vision impairment. Myopia and hyperopia were defined as cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction ≤ − 0.50 D, and ≥ + 0.50 D, respectively, and astigmatism as ≤ − 0.75 D. Amblyopia was defined as best corrected visual acuity ≤ 6/12 in at least one eye in the absence of any ocular pathology. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the prevalence of each refractive error and amblyopia. Results Two hundred five boys (average age 8.8 ± 1.7 years) presented for a comprehensive eye exam. The prevalence of vision impairment at initial presentation was 22.9% (N = 47), with 16.1% (N = 33) and 6.8% (N = 14) for both eyes and one eye, respectively. Of the children with vision impairment, 36.2% (N = 17) were wearing habitual correction. Of the children with vision impairment, 97.9% (N = 46) had refractive error, with 85.1% (N = 40) being myopic and 12.8% (N = 6) being hyperopic. In addition, 36.2% (N = 17) with vision impairment had astigmatism. Most children with vision impairment (N = 43) achieved good vision with refractive correction. However, amblyopia was observed in 2.0% (N = 4) of the children. Conclusions A high prevalence of vision impairment was observed, primarily due to uncorrected or undercorrected refractive error. Children with amblyopia and/or hyperopia presented despite a parent questionnaire to exclude children with these conditions. Findings suggest that many parents are unaware of their children’s visual and refractive status, even for children who already have glasses. In conclusion, improvements to the current system in Israel of vision screenings in first grade should be made to help insure children in need receive adequate follow-up throughout their education. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-731969b1d50f4fe795e5166fc6934391 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-4015 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Israel Journal of Health Policy Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-731969b1d50f4fe795e5166fc69343912025-02-02T12:28:25ZengBMCIsrael Journal of Health Policy Research2045-40152025-01-0114111010.1186/s13584-025-00667-7Vision impairment in boys recruited to the iREAD studyJonathan Levine0Ravid Doron1Lisa A. Ostrin2Einat Shneor3Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic CollegeDepartment of Optometry, Hadassah Academic CollegeCollege of Optometry, University of HoustonDepartment of Optometry, Hadassah Academic CollegeAbstract Background Uncorrected refractive error is reported to be the most common cause globally of vision impairment in school age children. However, little is known about the extent of uncorrected refractive error in Israel. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of vision impairment in schoolchildren recruited for the Israel Refraction, Environment, And Devices (iREAD) Study. Methods Healthy boys, ages 5–13 years, were recruited to participate in the iREAD Study. Parents first answered a questionnaire to exclude children with a known history of amblyopia, strabismus, or hyperopia. A comprehensive eye exam was then performed. Presenting visual acuity < 6/12 was defined as vision impairment. Myopia and hyperopia were defined as cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction ≤ − 0.50 D, and ≥ + 0.50 D, respectively, and astigmatism as ≤ − 0.75 D. Amblyopia was defined as best corrected visual acuity ≤ 6/12 in at least one eye in the absence of any ocular pathology. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the prevalence of each refractive error and amblyopia. Results Two hundred five boys (average age 8.8 ± 1.7 years) presented for a comprehensive eye exam. The prevalence of vision impairment at initial presentation was 22.9% (N = 47), with 16.1% (N = 33) and 6.8% (N = 14) for both eyes and one eye, respectively. Of the children with vision impairment, 36.2% (N = 17) were wearing habitual correction. Of the children with vision impairment, 97.9% (N = 46) had refractive error, with 85.1% (N = 40) being myopic and 12.8% (N = 6) being hyperopic. In addition, 36.2% (N = 17) with vision impairment had astigmatism. Most children with vision impairment (N = 43) achieved good vision with refractive correction. However, amblyopia was observed in 2.0% (N = 4) of the children. Conclusions A high prevalence of vision impairment was observed, primarily due to uncorrected or undercorrected refractive error. Children with amblyopia and/or hyperopia presented despite a parent questionnaire to exclude children with these conditions. Findings suggest that many parents are unaware of their children’s visual and refractive status, even for children who already have glasses. In conclusion, improvements to the current system in Israel of vision screenings in first grade should be made to help insure children in need receive adequate follow-up throughout their education.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-025-00667-7Vision impairmentReduced visionRefractive errorPublic healthMyopiaHyperopia |
| spellingShingle | Jonathan Levine Ravid Doron Lisa A. Ostrin Einat Shneor Vision impairment in boys recruited to the iREAD study Israel Journal of Health Policy Research Vision impairment Reduced vision Refractive error Public health Myopia Hyperopia |
| title | Vision impairment in boys recruited to the iREAD study |
| title_full | Vision impairment in boys recruited to the iREAD study |
| title_fullStr | Vision impairment in boys recruited to the iREAD study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vision impairment in boys recruited to the iREAD study |
| title_short | Vision impairment in boys recruited to the iREAD study |
| title_sort | vision impairment in boys recruited to the iread study |
| topic | Vision impairment Reduced vision Refractive error Public health Myopia Hyperopia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-025-00667-7 |
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