Colour blindness prevalence and its awareness in primary school children of Karachi.

Abstract

Objective: To Assess and compare different types of color blindness in primary school children also to appraise the self-awareness levels regarding this ailment amongst them. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Different Primary Schools of Karachi in Collaboration with Department of Physiology, Jinnah Medical and Dental College Karachi. Period: 1^st October 2020 to 1^st December 2020. Methods: 146 primary school children of both genders aged between 5 to 12 years were assessed by prescribed questionnaire and Ishahara Chart for color blindness. Result: Out of the 148 students who underwent screening, only 16 were diagnosed with color blindness, indicating a prevalence of 10.8% among primary school children in Karachi. Of these 16 students, males exhibited a higher incidence of color blindness (56.25%) than females (47.35%). Conclusion: The incidence of color blindness is higher in males than females with significant association with family history and night blindness. Colour blindness unawareness also significantly found in this study. It is recommended to have an eye checkup at the start of school and to have regular eye examination to avoid any hindrances and get the right help.