Abstract Background: Majority (80%) of all visual impairment globally is considered to be avoidable or reversible if identified early in life. Children are the most venerable group as they do not identify / notify the early signs of visual impairment. Aims and Objective: To estimate prevalence of ocular morbidity in School going children in Solapur district of Maharashtra. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 selected schools, 4 urban and 6 rural schools. Detailed ophthalmic examination was done by an ophthalmologist. A total of 3212 school going children, 1664 boys and 1578 girls, were examined between August 2017 and February 2018. Results: A total of 436 children with different ocular morbidities were detected in the study, revealing the prevalence of ocular morbidity equal to 13.57%. The overall prevalence of ocular morbidity in boys and girls was 14.18 % and 12.92%. The overall prevalence of ocular morbidity was not significantly different in boys and girls (Z = 1.05, p=0.30). The most common ocular morbidity was refractive errors (8.75%), followed by miscellaneous conditions which included infectious or allergic conditions like conjunctivitis, blepharities etc. Conclusion: The study has concluded that the overall prevalence of ocular morbidity was 13.57%. The prevalence of refractive errors was significantly more in urban children than in rural children. Similarly refractive errors were significantly more in older children (> 11) years than in children below the age of 11 years.
Keywords: Ocular Morbidity; Prevalence; School Going Children; Refractive Errors.