Prevalence and Pattern of Colour Vision Disorders Among Secondary School Students in Emohua Local Government Area, Nigeria.

General Ophthalmology

Abstract

Background: Colour Vision Disorders (CVDs) are defined as a defective perception of colour[1,2]. Although CVDs are thought not to  impact significantly in daily living and final educational attainment[3] , several studies have however noted difficulties faced by  individuals with CVDs in performing daily tasks[4,5]. Colour vision is also a requirement in certain occupations which involve the use of colour[6]. The study was carried out to determine the prevalence and pattern of CVDs in students with the aim to confirm its existence,  magnitude and serve as a basis for future studies on its impact and advocacy for its inclusion in Preschool screening.

Methods: A community based descriptive cross sectional study carried out on 1000 public secondary school students using multistage  simple random sampling of public secondary schools in Emohua Local Government Area (LGA), Rivers State. Interviewer administered  questionnaires were used to access demographic information including past medical history, drug history, use of topical medications.  The Ishihara 24 plate colour vision test was used to determine the prevalence of CVDs while the Farnsworth Munsell D15 test was used  to determine the pattern/severity of the colour vision disorders. Data analyses were done using the Statistical Package for Social  Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0.