A Study on Vision Disability Compensation Provided to Students at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND Visual disability is one of the most significant global health concerns. One of the studies conducted in northern part of Saudi Arabia showed that the prevalence of visual disability in adult population of 23.5 %. Very few studies have been conducted in Saudi Arabia to determine the prevalence of visual disability in the younger population. We wanted to determine the prevalence of visual disability in students studying at Qassim University. We also wanted to study and compare the utilization of compensatory rehabilitation by the students of urban and rural areas and the subjective response of beneficiaries. METHODS This study was done from September 2011 to May 2012, in the Department of Optometry in Qassim University, Buraidah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A crosssectional retrospective review from the records of 642 male students referred by the deanship of student’s affairs to the optometry clinic were studied. RESULTS The prevalence of visual disability in this study was found to be 2 %. Out of the total 642 students, a significant number of students [541 (84 %)] benefited from the scheme and 101 (16 %) were declared normal. Those who were declared visually disabled (2 %) were getting compensation on monthly basis and the remaining 82 % with mild to moderate visual problems benefitted with spectacles. More number of urban students were suffering from visual abnormalities (87.6 %) as compared to rural students (45.1 %). CONCLUSIONS Though visual disability among young population at Qassim University was found to be low as compared to adult population is Saudi Arabia, it is recommended to conduct regular check-ups for visual acuity and plan to reduce the magnitude of the problem. A significant number of students utilized the compensation and rehabilitation program provided by the department of optometry. KEY WORDS Refractive Error, Blindness, Student Compensation, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia