Vol. 2, Issue 1, Part A (2020)

Introduction: Refractive error is one of the most common cause of visual impairment among children. This poses a threat to not only the educational aspect and personal development of the child but also cause a burden on the socioeconomic status of the society. Uncorrected refractive error can result in amblyopia which causes permanent deterioration of vision, therefore early detection and timely intervention is important. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on all the children less than 17 years who visited the Ophthalmology OPD, for a period of 3months, at a tertiary health care centre in Kolar. Results: Our study showed that most of the study subjects, 60.50%, were normal. Myopia was the most common refractive error diagnosed in them (26.30%), followed by Hypermetropia (7.90%) and mixed astigmatism (5.30%). Conclusion: This study shows us a small part of a large picture of the prevalence of blindness due to refractive error, which is a worldwide problem. Thus, this study throws light on the type of refractive error in this region and helps in better planning of healthcare strategies.