The refractive status of children with Down’s syndrome in Benin City, Edo State

Abstract

Background: Down’s syndrome is an autosomal chromosomal disorder in humans and individuals with the condition are usually at a risk of various ocular conditions ranging from mild to moderate symptoms compared to those without Down’s syndrome. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the refractive status of children with Down’s syndrome between 5-18 years.

Materials and methods: This cross sectional study assessed the refractive status of 50 children with Down’s syndrome from selected special need schools in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The visual acuity assessed with the use of Lea symbol chart and non-cyclopegic refraction was performed with the streak retinoscope. Hyperopia, Myopia, Hyperopic astigmatism and Myopic astigmatism of 0.25D and above respectively were considered as significant refractive error.

Results: A total of 50 children with Down’s syndrome were evaluated; 25 (50%) male and 25(50%) females with a mean age of 12.48 ± 3.028 years. Majority of the participants 45 (90%) had refractive error, with hyperopia being the most prevalent refractive error occurring in 40% (20) of the participants, followed by hyperopic astigmatism 30% (15), then myopia 12%(6) and lastly myopic astigmatism 8%(4) of the total participants. There was no significant relationship between gender and the different types of refractive errors.

Conclusion: Hyperopia was the most common type of refractive error observed in this study. It is necessary that urgent and early eye care services are provided for children with Down’s syndrome in the hope of improving their quality of life.