Refractive errors in children in the outpatient department of China-Dominica Friendship Hospital in Dominica-a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Understanding the prevalence of refractive error in school-aged children is crucial to reduce the consequences of uncorrected refractive error. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of refractive error among children outpatients at the Ophthalmology Center, China–Dominica Friendship Hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Ophthalmology Center, China–Dominica Friendship Hospital. The study included all children who presented to the facility for eye examinations during the study period and met the inclusion criteria. Data on refractive errors, and lifestyle questionnaire were collected. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2016 and analyzed using R version 4.3.0. Group differences for categorical variables were evaluated using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact probability test with a significance level set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Of 180 eyes examined, 94 eyes (52.22%) had refractive error: 85 eyes (47.22%) had myopia (including 8 eyes [5.56%] with high myopia), and 9 eyes (5.00%) had hyperopia. Refractive error was more common in girls (59 eyes, 62.77%) than in boys (35 eyes, 37.23%), a statistically significant difference (χ² = 5.493, P = 0.019). Hyperopia, emmetropia, and low-to-moderate myopia were predominantly seen in the younger age group (5–11 years), while high myopia was mainly seen in the older group (12–17 years); this distribution was statistically significant (χ² = 10.751, P = 0.030). Regarding lifestyle, a lower proportion of girls (40.00%) took a 10-minute break after 30 min of near work compared with boys (60.00%) (χ² = 5.388, P = 0.02). More girls (64.86%) reported poor reading posture (reading while walking or in a moving vehicle) than boys (35.14%) (χ² = 4.025, P = 0.045). Conversely, a greater proportion of boys (61.40%) had more than 1 h of outdoor activity on weekends compared with girls (38.60%) (χ² = 11.568, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of refractive error, especially high myopia among children was higher compared to other studies conducted in similar setting. The hospital currently lacks advanced myopia‑control interventions. Larger, population‑based studies and efforts to introduce proven myopia‑control strategies are warranted.