Prevalence and factors associated with ocular disorders among deaf children attending mulago school of the deaf in Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Abstract Background:Vision and hearing are critical senses for a child's development since much knowledge and learning are obtained through these senses. Globally, 34 million children have hearing loss. Several studies have reported visual impairment as more prevalent among this population than the general population. However, most visual defeats can be corrected; there is an unmet need for an eye examination, especially among deaf children. This study assessed the prevalence of ocular disorders and associated factors among children in the School of the Deaf in Kampala, Uganda. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted for Three (3) months (February to April 2023) at Mulago School of the Deaf. One hundred fifty (150) deaf school-going children were enrolled consecutively until the required sample size was reached. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data among 150 participants. Ocular history and examination were conducted to elicit ocular disorders. Data was analysis used STATA 14. Prevalence of ocular disorders were obtained as percentages while a modified Poisson model was used to identify factors associated with ocular disorders. Results: All the 150 deaf children in this study were Speech impaired, with 58.7% female. The mean age was 11.75+/-3.2. Out of the 150 participants, 43(28.67%) had an ocular disorder, most common frequent disorders found were allergic conjunctivitis 23(15.3%), Refractive errors 15(10%), Strabismus (4%), and Cataract (3.3%). Factors associated with ocular disorders were Intrauterine infections [PR = 1.76, 95% CI (1.52-7.20) (p 0.003)], being in a class above primary 4 [PR=0.5, 95% CI (0.29-0.86) (p 0.013)], being male [PR=0.5, 95% CI (0.28-0.90) (p 0.021)], having another disability apart from speech and hearing impairment (dumb and deaf) [PR=1.66, 95% CI (1.04-2.64) (p 0.032)], and coming from the western region of the country [PR=3.17, 95% CI (1.54-6.53) (p 0.002)]. Conclusion: The prevalence of ocular disorders among deaf children is high. More ocular screening is recommended among deaf children, especially those born to mothers with a history of intrauterine infections and children with multiple disabilities.