Prevalence of Eye Problems among Young Infants of Rohingya Refugee Camps: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Early detection of pediatric eye problems can prevent future vision loss. This study was to estimate the prevalence of common eye problems among infants born in a resource-constrained emergency setting with a broader aim to prevent future vision loss or blindness among them through early detection and referral. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 670 infants (0−59 days old) born in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh between March and June of 2019. The most common eye problem found was watering from the eye and accumulation of discharge by which 14.8% of the children were suffering (95% CI: 12.2−17.7). More than 5% of the infants had visual inattention (95% CI: 3.5−7.0), and 4% had redness in their eyes (95% CI: 2.7−5.8). Only 1.9% of infants (95% CI: 1−3.3) had whitish or brown eyeballs, and 1.8% of children might have whitish pupillary reflex (95% CI: 0.9−3.1). None of the eye problems was associated with the gender of the infants. The prevalent eye problems demand eye care set up for the screening of eye problems in the camps with proper referral and availability of referral centres with higher service in the districts.

Keywords

• pediatric eye problem
• eye care
• infant
• rohingya refugee