Abstract

Introduction: Studies in other parts of the world show refractive error as a notable cause of visual impairment. Ghana is not an exception to these findings.
Objective: This study focused on determining the types and prevalence of refractive errors among administrative staff of selected senior high schools in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study in which 120 administrative staff from 10 randomly selected public senior high schools was conducted. Information collected from participants included demographics and ocular and medical history. Eye health assessment included visual acuity, examination of external eye structures, direct ophthalmoscopy, and refraction. Refractive error diagnosis was made in the event of pinhole acuity being better than participant’s habitual vision in either eye or both. Descriptive statistics was employed and a p-value<0.05 was considered significant for the study.
Results: Oculo-visual symptoms reported included teary eyes, headache, blur vision and double vision. The overall prevalence of refractive error was 30.8%; hyperopia, myopia, and astigmatism with prevalence figures of 17.5%, 10.8% and 2.5% respectively.
Conclusion: The prevalence of refractive error was considerably high among this group of workers. These workers would benefit from vision screening programmes and refractive error correction if made available to them.

Keywords: Refractive error; Prevalence; Hyperopia; Myopia; Astigmatism