Determinants of Early Refractive Error on School-Going Children (10-12 Years) in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Background: Refractive Error is a common health issues among young school-aged children in Bangladesh.Present study focused on determinants of refractive error among school-going children (class II-V) and theassociated factors.Method: Data were collected from 200 school-going children and their parents in a cross-sectional studyusing purposive sampling from Cambrian School, Dhaka city. A semi-structured questionnaire wasadministered to collect socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical information related to prevalence ofrefractive error at this age of children.Results: Study revealed that, among 200 participants, 54.5% children had refractive error and the youngera child is, the more there was possibility of having this issue. A positive association was found betweenmeal intake, duration of using computer games or watching television and genetic factor (parents’ wearingspectacles) with the occurrence of having this error in children (p<0.05).Conclusion: Findings of this study revealed, unhealthy life-styles and physical inactivity at this age maylead to refractive error among school aged children and early detection with medical advice as well as lifestyle modification might play a significant role not only in improving children’s learning ability but also inreducing the incidence of refractive error in this age group in Bangladesh.