Perfil de la salud visual y ocular de los niños de dos centros de desarrollo infantil de Pereira, Colombia

Detecting alterations in the visual development of children is one of the optometrist’s missions, in order to prevent the onset and complication of visual problems. Objective : To identify the refractive, motor, and pathological status of the anterior and posterior segment in children from two child development centers (CDC) in Pereira, Colombia. Materials and methods : This descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study examines the socio-demographic characteristics and visual and ocular morbidity of children in socioeconomic strata 0 and 1, according to the clinical records of examinations carried out in 2012 and 2013, and based on the children examined in 2014 and 2015. Results : 718 subjects were evaluated from the two CDCs, 46.1% female and 53.9% male, with a mean age of 46.2 months (SD ± 12.5). The ethnic group with the highest representation was mestizo (83.7%), followed by Afro-Colombian (13.8%), and indigenous (2.5%). The average spherical equivalent (M) was +0.34 D and the average cylinder was 0.17 D (J0), with a with-the-rule axis. The most prevalent refractive state was emmetropia (66.0%), followed by hypermetropia (16.0%), astigmatism (15.0%), and myopia (3.0%). Anisometropia had a prevalence of 5.2%; strabismus 1.1%; blepharitis 4.0%, and bacterial conjunctivitis 1.0%. Conclusions : The most frequent diagnoses were emmetropia, orthophoria, and blepharitis; most of these data are different from those found in other ethnic studies reported in other countries.