Prevalence and Pattern of Ocular Morbidities among Pediatric Patients Attending Tertiary Eye Hospital in Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of ocular morbidities among pediatric patients attending a tertiary eye hospital in Nepal. Methods: 424 children visiting the pediatric department of Nepal Eye Hospital were selected based on systematic sampling. The enrolled subject underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination including visual acuity, refraction, anterior segment, and fundus evaluation along with the cover test in order to rule out any strabismic binocular vision anomalies. Results: Out of 424 samples with mean age of 9.05±3.82, 218 (51.42%) were male and 206 (48.58%) were female. Refractive error was the most common ocular morbidity among 231 (54.48%) of the participants followed by ocular infections affecting 70 (16.50%) of the enrolled subjects. Although refractive error had equal gender-based predisposition, it was reported to be higher in the children of age group between 1 to 12yrs 140 (33.01%). A predominance of astigmatism, particularly compound myopic astigmatism, was observed among the individuals, followed by low-magnitude myopia. Beside anomalies of refraction, strabismus, amblyopia, Retinopathy of Prematurity, cataract, and ocular allergy were also reported in a considerable proportion. Conclusions: Higher prevalence of ocular morbidities among pediatric population reflects the need of early diagnosis, evaluation, and management as visual impairment in the early age can have serious impact in their overall development.