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Prevalence of refractive errors in Al Bahar Alahmar province in Sudan

Purpose: The study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of refractive errors in al Bahar Alahmar province in Sudan. The aim was to identify the prevalence in the province and to help in improving the health strategic plans in the area as well as reviewing the eye care services provided in the region. Materials and Methods: Eye testing had been executed on 790 patients with ages ranged between 10 and 59 years and means of 41.7 standard deviation ± 10.1. All patients tested for distance vision using (tumbling E chart) and near vision using (tumbling E chart). The battery kept simple at the beginning of the test; however, noncycloplegic objective refraction followed using a streak retinoscope to refract and prescribe the required optical correction. Results: Decreased in vision was more common in the age group of (40–49) years old, right eye (RE); 38% and left eye (LE); 34% (χ2 = 20.83/df = 20/P = 0.04). Spectacles could improve the vision to 6/6 from 45.8% (unaided) in RE to 91.5% aided and from 44.4% to 90.6% for LE. The prevalence of refractive error was 37.1% for the total; of which 19.6% hypermetropia, 6.6%, myopia and 10.9% astigmatism, respectively. The prevalence of hypermetropia increased in those age (40–49) RE; 38% and LE; 39.4% with highly association with age (χ2 = 58.41/df = 12/probability P = 0.001). Myopia found in the age group (50–59) years old RE; 40.4% and LE; 37.8%, but without any significant association between myopia and age (χ2 = 46.28/df = 12/P = 0.74). In examination site, 66.8% of the ametropes were not wearing correction, but 12.4% wearing distance correction, 15.1% using near correction, and 5.7% wearing distance and near correction. Conclusion: Hypermetropia was the most common type of refractive errors. Refractive errors affect a sizable portion of these three towns, a substantial number of uncorrected refractive errors individuals were waiting for help. Thus, awareness and services must be dramatically improved to meet the needs.