Prevalence of Ocular Morbidity and Refractive Errors among School-going Children in Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Villages, Raigad Maharashtra: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

 Background: Childhood ocular morbidity, especially untreated refractive defects is a major worldwide public      health concern. There is little data from underprivileged tribal populations, and prevalence varies greatly throughout India. The purpose of this study was to determine how common ocular morbidity and refractive errors were among school-age children in rural communities in the Raigad region of Maharashtra that were part of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) program.

 Methods: A cross-sectional, school-based study was conducted from March 2024 to February 2025 in five UBA villages. A total of 213 children aged 6–16 years underwent a comprehensive three-phase ocular examination, including visual acuity assessment, slit-lamp evaluation, and refraction. Socioeconomic status was classified using the Kuppuswamy scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test.

Results: The overall prevalence of ocular morbidity was 30.0% (64/213). Refractive error was the most common condition, affecting 11.3% (24/213) of children, followed by conjunctivitis (4.7%), squint (3.8%) and nystagmus (2.8%). Vitamin A deficiency was observed in 1.9% (4/213) of children. The highest prevalence of refractive error was in the 14–16 years age group (14.3%). The majority of participants belonged to the upper-lower socioeconomic class (72.8%). No statistically significant association was found between ocular morbidity and age group, gender or socioeconomic class. Anterior segment findings, primarily benign pigmentary variations like perilimbal conjunctival melanosis (38.5%) were common.

Conclusions: Nearly one-third of pupils in these rural regions suffer from a high burden of ocular morbidity, according to the study. In order to prevent preventable childhood blindness, there is an urgent need for focused, school-based screening programs and nutritional treatments in underprivileged groups due to the prevalence of easily curable diseases including vitamin A deficiency and refractive errors.