Schools: First Promoters of a Good Visual Health

Vision plays an important role in the physical, cognitive and social development of children. Uncorrected vision problems can harm a child's development and interfere with learning. Visual functioning is a strong predictor of academic performance in school-aged children. Early detection and treatment are essential. The objective of our work is to establish the prevalence of visual disorders in children and to investigate the motivations for a consultation. This is a descriptive study carried out at the Vision Clinic of Tetouan-Morocco, including all pediatric patients (<16 years old) who presented to the consultation of the same doctor, between July 2022 and December 2022. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination with measurement of refraction after cycloplegia. The study involved 450 children, including 254 girls and 196 boys. The average age was 9 years old. One of two children was consulting for the first time in ophthalmology. The average age at the first consultation is 8.5 years. The ophthalmological examination was requested by the school in 46% of the cases. In 34%, it is requested following observations made by the parents. In 10%, it is the child who reports the visual disturbance (these children were all over 8 years old). In 3% of cases, the ophthalmological examination is requested by the attending physician. 93% of these children required optical correction after measurement of refraction under cycloplegia and 45% had amblyopia of variable importance. One out of three amblyopic children was over 10 years old when the visual impairment was diagnosed. This work highlights the essential role of schools in the detection of visual impairment in children. Routine vision screening and eye exams are critical to detect vision problems before a child's development is compromised. Schools and teachers are the first and essential actors in a solid public health approach to children's vision and eye health. KEY MESSAGES: • Systematic screening for ametropia in children of school age & Awareness of parents for the recognition of visual disorders. • A child who does not complain is not necessarily in good visual health.