Epidemiology of Uncorrected Refractive Error and Vision Impairment Among Pupils in Bindura, Zimbabwe: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Uncorrected refractive error is a major global cause of vision impairment, affecting education, development, and productivity, especially in children. The study examined the distribution of refractive errors and vision impairment among primary school children in Bindura City. 

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three primary schools in Bindura, Zimbabwe, from April 2022 to April 2024. A multistage sampling method was used to select schools based on their administrative type, and data were collected through questionnaires, visual acuity tests, refraction, and fundoscopy. 

Results: 3038 pupils were recruited and screened for the study, with 50.2% females and age ranging from 4-15 years (mean age = 9.19 ± 2.86 years). The prevalence of uncorrected refractive error was 3.1% (95% CI: 2.5%-3.8%), with myopia at 2.6%; (95% CI: 2.1%-3.6%), and hyperopia 0.5%; (95% CI: 0.3%-0.8%). The prevalence of distance vision impairment was 0.36% (95% CI: 0.18%-0.65%), and chi-squared test revealed that it was significantly associated with geographical setting (X² = 18.26, df = 2, p < 0.001), but not with uncorrected refractive error (X² = 2.626, df = 4,p = 0.622) or age (F [11, 3026] = 0.648; p = 0.499). There was no significant association between a child's age and uncorrected refractive error (F [11, 3026] = 0.942; p = 0.499). 

Conclusion: Although the prevalence of uncorrected refractive error and visual impairment amongst the pupils was lower than in similar studies in Zimbabwe, the most common type of refractive error was myopia.