Prevalence and types of color vision deficiency among primary school students in Alexandria

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of color vision deficiency (CVD) among primary school students in Alexandria, Egypt. Setting This study was carried out at three primary schools in Alexandria, Egypt. Patients and methods This cross-sectional study was carried out among three primary school students in Alexandria, Egypt. Ocular examination including visual acuity and color vision testing with Ishihara plates (38-plate edition) was performed for all the students included. Further assessment using the Farnsworth–Munsell 100-hue test was performed for students who failed the Ishihara plates test. Results A total of 1000 (495 males and 505 females) school students were screened for CVD. The mean age of the students was 9±2.16 years. The overall prevalence of CVD was 1.9%, with a prevalence of 2.8 and 0.9% in males and females, respectively, a statistically significant difference (P=0.04). Among the CVD students, 36.8% had deuteranopia, 31.5% had deuteranomaly, 26.3% had protanopia, and 5.3% had tritanopia. Conclusion The prevalence of CVD was 1.9%, with a male predominance, among primary school students in Alexandria. Deutan color vision defects were the most prevalent.

Keywords

• color vision deficiency
• prevalence
• school students