Correlation of asthenopic symptoms with refractive errors in young adults

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship of asthenopic symptoms (Headache, watering, blurry vision, diplopia) with refractive errors including hypermetropia, myopia, astigmatism, anisometropia and to asses in which age group asthenopia is more common.

METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among people having refractive errors and asthenopic symptoms. A total of 172 patients presented to Mayo Hospital Eye OPD were examined. They were divided into two age groups. 15 to 25 years named as group 1 and 26 to 36 years named group 2. Visual acuity, refraction and fundoscopy evaluation were done by using Snellen chart, retinoscopy and ophthalmoscope respectively.

RESULTS: Participants of group 1 were having asthenopic symptom complaints about 48.26%. Most common complaint of the patient was headache (96.5%). The complaint of asthenopia was more in female patients (57.56%) than males (42.40%). Myopia and astigmatism had a significant relation with asthenopic symptoms that is 56.4% and 59.3% respectively. Each symptom had a significant relation with different refractive errors the statistically significant value p<0.05. Pearson’s correlation was used to find out the correlation between asthenopic symptoms and refractive errors. Headache was significantly associated with myopia(r=-0.167, p=0.028), blurring was also positively correlated with myopia (r=0.276, p=0.0001) double vision had significance with both hypermetropia (r=0.009, p=0.001) and anisometropia (r=0.312, p=0.001) Blurring in vision had implication with astigmatic(r=0.305,p=0.001) refractive errors. Mann-Whitney U test was applied and the significant value was p<0.05.

CONCLUSIONS: Detailed examination of patients including visual acuity, refractive errors and questioning their complaints about symptoms helped in making a conclusion that there is a close correlation between refractive errors and asthenopic symptoms of Group 1 and headache was a most common complaint of them.