Pattern Of Refractive Errors At Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Objective: The objective of this paper is to determine the prevalence and pattern of cases of refractive error reported at the eye clinic of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife (OAUTH). Methodology: All consecutive new patients seen at the eye clinic of the OAU Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, between October 1997 and September 1998 were examined. Those patients who complained of difficulty in seeing near or far objects, whose vision improved with the pinhole or those who had difficulty doing close work like reading or threading needles were refracted by the author. Results: Out of the 1,550 new patients seen within the period of study, eight- hundred and sixty eight (54.9%) had refractive errors. Refractive errors were twice as common among the females than the males in this study. Myopia was the commonest spherical error (22.7%). The highest degree was -12.0DS. Presbyopia was present in 31.8% of the patients. The youngest age of presentation for presbyopia was 36 years. Astigmatism occurred in 55.8% of the patients seen. Most of the patients (68.3%) had myopic astigmatism. One of the two patients who had anisometropia had developed amblyopia in the more hypermetropic eye. Conclusion: Since refractive errors were found to be very common in this study increased health education and provision of adequate, affordable and modern facilities for correction of refractive errors are highly recommended. Nigerian Journal of Ophthalmology Vol. 11(2) 2003: 76-79