Epidemiological and clinical aspects of ametropia in children under 16 years of age at the friendship Chad-China University Teaching Hospital in N'djamena

Abstract

Background: Refractive errors are a common reason for children to visit an ophthalmologist. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of refractive errors in a hospital setting.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, retrospective study conducted from August 2024 to July 2025 at the CHU-ATC, including all children under the age of 16 diagnosed with ametropia. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were studied. SPSS 18.0 software was used for data analysis.

Results: Among the 379 patients consulted during the study period, 102 patients under the age of 16 were included, representing a hospital frequency of 10.76%. The average age was 10.7±3.1 years, with a predominance in the 6-10 age group (65.7%). Males accounted for 57.8%. Patients had a secondary education level in 60.8% of cases. The main reasons for consultation were decreased visual acuity (55.9%), tearing (9.8%), and asthenopia (8.8%). Astigmatism (56.9%) in all forms was the most common refractive error, followed by myopia (23.5%) and hyperopia (19.6%).

Conclusion: refractive errors are common in males in our study. Astigmatism is the most common refractive error and mainly affects boys aged 11 to 15, corresponding to secondary school age. Screening for ametropia should be considered to reduce the impact of visual disorders in school-age children.