Bhutan’s nationwide school survey reveals burden of refractive error among children
Using data from Bhutan’s 2019 nationwide School Sight Survey, Sharma et al. conducted a secondary analysis to assess the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of refractive error among children in Bhutan.
Key Findings:
- This population-based survey examined 164,365 school-enrolled children aged 5-18 years across 586 schools, covering 99.5% of all schools in Bhutan and 94.3% of children in this age group.
- Visual impairment (VI) affected 12.14% of children, with a higher prevalence among females than males (13.16% vs 11.07%); refractive error (RE) was found to be the main cause of VI (96.1%).
- Myopia was the most common type of RE (5.78%), followed by astigmatism (5.26%) and hypermetropia (0.67%).
- RE was more common among female students, those attending private schools, and those studying in urban areas, with 18%, 41% and 68% higher odds, respectively.
- Among 19,243 children with RE, only 2,213 (11.5%) had an appropriate pair of spectacles, highlighting a substantial gap in spectacle coverage.
Reference: Sharma IP, Naidoo KS, Mashige KP, Lepcha NT. Refractive error among school-aged children in Bhutan: A secondary analysis of data from nationwide Bhutan School Sight Survey. PLOS Glob Public Heal. 2026;6(2 February):1-12. doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0005085
