Research Article
Types and Presentation of Refractive Error among Individuals
Aged 0–30 Years: Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study, Yemen
Tawfik Saleh Mohammed Dhaiban ,
1
Femina Purakaloth Ummer ,
2
Hanan Khudadad ,
3
and Shajitha Thekke Veettil
3
1
Department of Operations, Al umama Health Centre, Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar
2
Department of Operations, Airport Health Centre, Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar
3
Clinical Research Department, Primary Health Care Corporation, Doha, Qatar
Correspondence should be addressed to Shajitha ekke Veettil; shajithajaleel@gmail.com
Received 11 January 2021; Revised 15 April 2021; Accepted 23 June 2021; Published 5 July 2021
Academic Editor: Rahman Shiri
Copyright © 2021 Tawfik Saleh Mohammed Dhaiban et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Background. Refractive errors are the most common cause of visual impairment worldwide. Its proportion varied among societies
and is considered as a public health challenge. Symptoms and signs associated with refractive errors are the most worrisome and
common presentations in the general practice in eye clinics. Aim. e goal of this study was to determine the types and
presentations of refractive error among the 0–30-year-old Yemeni population to aid early identification, diagnosis, referral, and
treatment. Methodology. A cross-sectional study including 1,500 out-patients aged from 0 to 30 years attending the ophthalmology
clinic in Sanaa, Yemen (between 2012 and 2015). All patients underwent visual acuity examination, autorefractometer, and
anterior and posterior segment examination and were grouped according to type, that is, myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.
Results. Hyperopia was the most common single diagnosis (53.3%) followed by myopia (33.3%). Astigmatism was uncommon as a
single diagnosis (13.4%) but commonly associated with hyperopia or myopia. Myopia was more common in males (42.9%) than in
females (25%). Hyperopia was more in females (62.5%) than in males (42.9%). Age groups most affected by refractive errors were
13–18 years (27.7%), 19–24 years (24.8%), and 25–30 years (24.6%), respectively. Decreased vision (53%) was a common
presentation in myopia and astigmatism (41.5%) and less in hyperopia (39.6%). Headache was common in astigmatism (56%),
hyperopia (28.8%), and myopia (17.8%). Muscle imbalance, namely, exotropia (27.2%), is mainly found in myopia and esotropia
(24.3%) in hyperopia. Conclusions. In addition to decreased vision, our patients with refractive errors mostly complain of
headaches with clear variations with age and type of refractive error. Early identification and proper categorization of refractive
errors by age, gender, and other demographics by general physicians in primary care can better deduce and make useful referrals
to eye specialists.
1.Introduction
Refractive error is a problem with focusing light accurately
on the retina due to the shape of the eye. e most common
types of refractive error are near-sightedness (myopia), far-
sightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism, and presbyopia. Near-
sightedness results in faraway objects being blurry, far-
sightedness, presbyopia results in close objects being blurry,
and astigmatism causes objects to appear stretched out or
blurry. Other symptoms may include double vision,
headaches, and eye strain. Refractive errors are corrected
with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery [1]. e number of
people globally with refractive errors has been estimated at
one to two billion [2]. Rates vary between regions of the
world with about 25% of Europeans and 80% of Asians
affected [2]. Myopia is the most common disorder [3]. Rates
among adults are between 15 and 49% while rates among
children are between 1.2 and 42% [4]. Hyperopia more
commonly affects young children and the elderly [5, 6].
Presbyopiaaffectsmostpeopleovertheageof35[1].In2013,
Hindawi
Advances in Medicine
Volume 2021, Article ID 5557761, 7 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5557761