RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The red reflex examination (RRE) and visual acuity testing (VA) is a mandatory part of the examination during the well-child visits (WCV) in primary health care centres of the public system of health in Chile. The eye examination is aimed at the early detection of severe eye diseases in children, such as retinoblastoma, congenital cataracts, and amblyopia. The knowledge and difficulties experienced by health workers in primary care health centres for evaluating the red reflex during WCV in Chile is unknown. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was performed in primary community health centres of XXX Santiago de Chile. RESULTS: The WCV were mainly performed by physicians (45.2%) and nurses (35.8%). Only 34% of health workers performed the red reflex test, and 42.3% checked VA during the WCV. The main reasons for not doing it include the lack of direct ophthalmoscopes and VA charts (55.2% and 43.9%, respectively) at their centres, and not having the knowledge or skills (29.3% and 22%, respectively) to properly perform these clinical tests. CONCLUSION: In this series, the eye examination of children attending WCV was unfrequently performed. A better implementation of the health centres and training of the health workers are needed in order to improve the access and quality of the paediatric eye examination in primary health care institutions in Chile.
RESUMEN
El conocimiento del estado de salud visual y ocular de la población permite la creación de programas de intervención para mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas. Objetivo: caracterizar la población de acuerdo con el estado visual y ocular, según atención en tamizajes visuales en Pereira, mediante evaluación de los registros individuales de prestación de servicios (RIPS) diligenciados entre 2006 y 2007para generar proyectos de investigación e intervención que beneficien a la población. Materiales y métodos: estudio descriptivoretrospectivo de los RIPS diligenciados entre 2006 y 2007 por una institución de educación superior en Pereira, donde se tomaron datos sin discriminación de género, ni edad de personas que fueran atendidos en jornadas de tamizajes visuales, se evaluaron la totalidad de registros, se realizó una base de datos en Excel, se filtró la informacióny se analizó en el programa Stata 9.0. Para esta investigación, considerada sin riesgo según la resolución 008430, se contó con el consentimiento institucional. Resultados: el 52,06 por ciento de la población está entre 3 años y 11 años, la edad media fue de 11años. La relación hombre: mujer de 1:1 aproximadamente. Las alteraciones del estado refractivo fueron las más frecuentes, con un 99 por ciento, la hipermetropía, con un 50,6 por ciento (IC 95 por ciento 48-53), seguida por el astigmatismo, la miopía y la emetropía. Conclusiones: la población atendida es joven, de procedencia urbana, sin diferencia entre los géneros. Los defectos refractivos son las principales causas de morbilidad visual.
The knowledge about the peoples visual and ocular conditions allows the creation of intervention programs to improve the peoples quality of life. Objective: characterize people according to its visual and ocular conditions, vision screening process in Pereira by evaluating the individual health care records (RIPS) processed between 2006 and 2007 to create research and intervention programs for the peoples benefits. Marterials and methods: descriptive retrospective study of the processed RIPS was done by an university in Pereira between 2006 and 2007. The gender and age were taken without taking into account differences at the moment of collecting data. All the data was taken and loaded in Excel and then they were analyzed in Stata 9.0. According to the 008430 resolution, this study doesnt have risk. Its has an institutional permition. Results: 52,06 percent of the people is between 3 and 11 years old. The age average was 11 year sold. The relation between man and woman was about 1:1. The most frequent found disorders werere fractive disorders, that represents 99 percent, hyperopia was 50,6 percent (IC 95 percent 48-53), followed by astigmatism, myopia and emetropy. Conclusions: people assessed are young, from urban areas, there is no differences between genders. The refractive disorders are main causes of visual morbidity.