RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors among children aged 3-10 years in western Saudi Arabia JF Saudi Medical Journal JO Saudi Med J FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City SP 804 OP 810 DO 10.15537/smj.2017.8.20412 VO 38 IS 8 A1 Nojood Hameed R. Alrahili A1 Esraa S. Jadidy A1 Bayan Sulieman H. Alahmadi A1 Mohammed F. Abdula’al A1 Alaa S. Jadidy A1 Abdulaziz A. Alhusaini A1 Moaz A. Mojaddidi A1 Maan A. Al-Barry YR 2017 UL http://smj.org.sa/content/38/8/804.abstract AB Objectives: To determine the prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors (URE) among children 3-10 years and to affirm the necessity of a national school-based visual screening program for school-aged children.Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Medina, Saudi Arabia in 2015. Children were selected through a multistage stratified random sampling from 8 kindergarten and 8 primary schools. Those included were screened to diagnose UREs using a visual acuity chart and an auto refractometer according to American guidelines. The prevalence and types of UREs were estimated.Results: Of the 2121 children enumerated, 1893 were examined, yielding a response rate of 89.3%. The prevalence of UREs was 34.9% (95% CI = 32.8%-37.1%), with significant differences in different age groups. The prevalence of astigmatism (25.3%) was higher compared to that of anisometropia (7.4%), hypermetropia (1.5%), and myopia (0.7%). Risk of uncorrected refractive error was positively associated with age, and this was noted in astigmatism, myopia, and anisometropia. In addition, the risk of hypermetropia was associated with boys and that of myopia was associated with girls.Conclusions: The prevalence of UREs, particularly astigmatism, was high among children aged 3-10 years in Medina, with significant age differences. Vision screening programs targeting kindergarten and primary schoolchildren are crucial to lessen the risk of preventable visual impairment due to UREs.