Aguwa U. S., Ovie F.O., Onoikhua E.E., Olu S.I., Nnawuaku G.O., Ukoba O.
The use of medicated glasses as visual aids was ass ociated with the elderly,but in recent times the population of younger people using medicated glasse s is alarming.Academic excellence is dependent on a number of factors of which clear comfortable b inocular vision is dominant. Genetic, cultural and environmental factors play key roles in the prevale nce and distribution of refractive errors. This stu dy estimated the prevalence and distribution of the us e of medicated glasses and refractive errors among students of Madonna University Nigeria, Elele campu s, Rivers state. One thousand (1000) questionnaires were randomly distributed to 3 rd year undergraduate students in various departments in the college of medicine, including Anatomy, Physiol ogy, Medicallab. Science, Optometry, Public health, and Pharmacy. 852 (85.2%) of the questionnaires wer e retrieved and analyzed using simple percentages. Data collected included information on age, sex, state of origin, place of residence and presence of refractive errors. Our results reveal t hat North-west region had the highest prevalence of the use of medicated glasses among youths at 61.29% .This is followed by south-west (55.67%), south- south (36.27%), south-east (31.67%), north-central (19.67%) and north-east (15.79%).On the average, th e prevalence of the use of medicated glasses is 41.20 % in the Southern part and 32.25% in the Northern part of Nigeria. The incidence of refractive errors also followed the same trend with North-west havin g (93.55%), South-west (50.51%), South-south (32.88%) , South-east (27.67%), North central (18.03%) and North-east (15.79%).The highest occurring refractiv e error among the six geopolitical regions of Niger ia is myopia (54%), followed by hyperopia (21.01%), as tigmatism (15.30%) and presbyopia (9.46%). This work represents the first attempt at having a compr ehensive outlook at the statistics of the use of medicated glasses among Nigerian youths as well as the incidence of refractive errors among Nigerian youths.
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