ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the prevalence of blindness in elderly people from quilombola communities located in the immediate geographic region of Araguaína, in the north of Tocantins. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out, in which 80 residents, aged 60 or over, from 4 certified quilombola communities in this region were examined: Pé do Morro, Baviera, Dona Juscelina, and Cocalinho. Everyone answered a questionnaire on demographic and socioeconomic variables, and underwent a visual acuity exam, using the Snellen Table. For […]

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of refractive errors (RE) in children and their association with age group, sex, and racial variations before the COVID-19 Pandemic. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study involved 1,086 children with a mean age of 9.1 years (0-15 years) who underwent refraction examination under cycloplegia between 2015 and 2019. Myopia was defined as Spherical Equivalent (SE) −0.50 diopters (D) or more; hyperopia as +2.0 D, and astigmatism as at least −0,50 D. The RE were further […]

ABSTRACT Introduction: Myopia is a growing global concern and there is a lack of studies on its prevalence among Brazilian schoolchildren. Methods: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of myopia in Brazilian children aged 3–18 years through a review and meta-analysis of published studies. Eleven high-quality studies were analyzed following the 2022 PRISMA guidelines. Prevalence was calculated using a meta-analysis, considering the heterogeneity among the studies. Results: The overall crude prevalence of myopia in Brazilian children was 7.65%. There […]

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess myopia prevalence in children from public schools of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul. Methods: It is a prospective cross-sectional study with a sample of 330 children from public schools of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, from 5 to 20 years old. The students were submitted to an ophthalmological evaluation including auto-refractor measurements, best corrected and uncorrected visual acuity, subjective refraction under cycloplegia and axial length. The outcomes were prevalence […]

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the perception and attitudes of the Brazilian population regarding eye health care. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample was random and calculated to be representative of the Brazilian population. Data collection was carried out by a specialized company, through telephone calls, by trained staff. The questionnaire was structured with objective questions about the eye health habits of the interviewees. All interviews were recorded and reviewed. Results The study population was 2132 people. The […]

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the profile of emergency eye-related visits and compare the findings with the same period before the pandemic. Methods Cross-sectional study performed during one year at a reference eye hospital. Cases registered at the emergency Municipal Hospital Complex of Santo Andre, Brazil, between March, 2019 and February, 2020 were included in the study as the Pre-pandemic group. Cases registered between March, 2020 and February, 2021 were included as the Pandemic […]

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the economic impact of starting the treatment of primary open angle glaucoma with non-pharmacological strategies within the scope of reference centers for the treatment of glaucoma in the Unified Health System. Methods: The population of this study comes from a hypothetical cohort of patients aged 60 years with initial primary open angle glaucoma. The reference strategy (strategy 1) is based only on the use of eye drops, following the guidelines of the clinical protocol of the […]

ABSTRACT Introduction: It is estimated that 23% of the Brazilian population does not have access to an ophthalmologist, mainly because of the irregular geographical distribution of experts. It may be expensive to train ophthalmologists in Brazil. Objective: To estimate the cost of training an ophthalmologist and the labor market conditions so that the provider recovers the investment. Methods: Epidemiological study in databases from governmental sources and institutions related to the eye health system regulation. Results: The cost for training an […]