METHODS: Healthy school children aged < 10 years were invited to take part in this cross-sectional study. Refraction and best-corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA) were determined using cycloplegic refraction and a logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) chart, respectively. All children underwent MRI using a 3-Tesla whole-body scanner. Quantitative eyeball measurements included the longitudinal axial length (LAL), horizontal width (HW), and vertical height (VH) along the cardinal axes. Correlation analysis was used to determine the association between the level of refractive error and the eyeball dimensions.

RESULTS: A total of 70 eyes from 70 children (35 male, 35 female) with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 8.38 (0.49) years were included and analyzed. Mean (SD) refraction (spherical equivalent, SEQ) and BCDVA were -2.55 (1.45) D and -0.01 (0.06) logMAR, respectively. Ocular dimensions were greater in myopes than in emmetropes (all P < 0.05), with no significant differences according to sex. Mean (SD) ocular dimensions were LAL 24.07 (0.91) mm, HW 23.41 (0.82) mm, and VH 23.70 (0.88) mm for myopes, and LAL 22.69 (0.55) mm, HW 22.65 (0.63) mm, and VH 22.94 (0.69) mm for emmetropes. Significant correlations were noted between SEQ and ocular dimensions, with a greater change in LAL (0.46 mm/D, P < 0.001) than in VH (0.27 mm/D, P < 0.001) and HW (0.22 mm/D, P = 0.001).

METHODS: This prospective, interventional study was conducted on primary school children with dyslexia aged 8 - 11 years. The participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmic and optometric examinations and were categorized into groups A, B, and C, comprising primary school children at level 1 or 2. Groups A and B received combined VTM and MOE interventions for 12 and 24 weeks, respectively, and group C received MOE intervention alone. The reading performance was assessed at baseline and 12, 24, and 36 weeks post-intervention.

RESULTS: Both components of the reading performance improved significantly for school children at both levels in all study groups (all P < 0.05). However, the reading performance improvement was only approximately 28% in group C and 38% - 50% in groups A and B. In group A, students at level 1 showed significantly improved reading speed from baseline to 12 weeks post-VTM intervention and reading rate from baseline to 24 weeks post-VTM intervention (both P < 0.05). Students at level 2 showed significantly improved reading speed and rate from baseline to 12 and 24 weeks post-VTM intervention (all P < 0.05). In group B, students at both levels showed significantly improved reading speed and rate from baseline to 24 and 36 weeks post-VTM intervention (all P < 0.05). Students at level 2 showed significantly improved reading speed 12 weeks after cessation of intervention (at 36 weeks post-VTM intervention) compared to 24 weeks post-VTM intervention (P < 0.05). The improvement remaining stable 12 weeks after discontinuation of intervention indicated a sustained effect.

METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study used a purposive sampling technique. The list of facilities providing refraction services in the city of Malé was compiled through a desk review and finalized after verification by personnel from the Ministry of Health. The availability of human resources and infrastructure was measured using a pre-coded questionnaire that also listed barriers to service provision, followed by on-site observations and subsequent data analysis.

RESULTS: Three clinical ophthalmology departments within hospitals, two ophthalmology hospitals, and nine primary eye care centers were selected for this study. The private sector (n = 12, 85.7%) was the primary provider of refractive error services. All facilities possessed the essential equipment required for refraction. Only optometrists and ophthalmologists conducted refraction. Contact lens assessment and low vision services were not available at any facility. The number of refractions conducted in Malé annually was 145,392. Human resources and management-related factors were the major barriers to the provision of clinical refraction services (n = 21, 44.7%).

METHODS: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study using a purposive sampling method. Children aged 4‒12 years who attended the Children's Unit at Gaza Ophthalmic Hospital, Gaza Strip, Palestine from September 2019 to July 2020, were examined. A comprehensive eye test was conducted for all participants. Those who failed the eye examinations and were diagnosed with refractive amblyopia were included in the study. Demographic data and amblyopic refractive error patterns were analyzed accordingly.

RESULTS: Of the 107 children, 72.9% were newly diagnosed with refractive amblyopia. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) of age of the children who participated was 7.85 (1.55) years. Approimately two-thirds of the patients were female (57.9%). Unilateral amblyopia was predominant in 60.7% of the cases. Moderate amblyopia was common (81.9%). A total of 149 amblyopic eyes were examined in total, with a mean (SD) (range) of best-corrected distance visual acuity and spherical equivalent of 0.45 (0.19) (0.2 to 1.3) logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution and + 0.76 (4.51) diopters (- 10.25 to + 11.50). Astigmatism was the most common amblyogenic factor (53.7%) among children with amblyopia.

METHODS: In this prospective case-control study, 60 preschool teachers from Chittagong were randomly selected. The study group was trained to conduct vision screening among preschool children using the translated kit, whereas the control group was trained using the Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC) School Teachers' Training Module. Fifteen preschool children aged 4-6 years were screened by each preschool teacher and again by the optometrist.

RESULTS: Sixty preschool teachers screened 900 children. The results showed a higher validity of vision screening findings by the preschool teachers in the study group (sensitivity, 68.00%; specificity, 92.75%) than in the control group (sensitivity 47.37%, specificity 70.39%). The level of agreement between the preschool teachers and optometrists was high for all tests (first-order agreement coefficient [AC1] ≥ 0.80 in the study group). The sensitivity and specificity of the visual acuity test for the study group were 59.65% and 94.15%, respectively, while in the control group it was 13.33% and 62.54%, respectively. A similar trend was noted in the general observation component and Hirschberg's test.