Prevalence of strabismus among pre-school children community in Butajira Town

Abstract

Background: Though strabismus is a common presenting ocular problem at outpatient clinics of ophthalmology its magnitude in Ethiopia is not known. Objective: To determine the magnitude and type of manifest strabismus and strabismic amblyopia among pre-school children. Methods: A cros-sectional study was conducted from December 1999 to January 2000 in Butajira town. Pre-school children were screened for strabismus and strabismic amblyopia. Results: Out of the total 1894 children screened, 29(1.53%) were found to have strabismus, of which females accounted 58.6% (17) and males 41.4% (12). Esotropia is the commonest type of strabismus (69%) followed by exotropia (24%). Strabismic amblyopia was found in 51.7% the cases. Light ray either from the sun or a bulb was found to be the commonest presumed cause of strabismus. Only seven parents have the knowledge that strabismus could be treated either medically or surgically. Conclusion: The study has shown that strabismus and strabismic amblyopia are relatively common ocular problems. In addition, it has been observed that there is lack of understanding of the problem and the availability of corrective measures. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2001;15(2):125-130]