Sharmistha Behera1, Jayashree Dora2, Durga Sahu3 Madhumita Naik4
BACKGROUND
Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is a common eye condition that is frequent in childhood.
The prevalence of allergic diseases in children aged 6 to 14 years varies
significantly from 0.3 % to 20.5 %, and is gradually increasing.1 It is associated
with several allergic diseases affecting the ocular surface and it is the most
common ocular condition encountered in clinical practice. This study was
conducted to determine the prevalence, ocular manifestations of allergic
conjunctivitis, and associated comorbidities among school-going children in
Western Odisha.
METHODS
A total of 1502 children from 10 schools of Burla, participated in this crosssectional
observational study. Data collection started in September 2018 up to
September 2019. All the children underwent meticulous history taking for
symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis and any other associated comorbidities, a
structured validated questionnaire was used to collect demographic and medical
data. Visual assessment, and slit-lamp examination were done to look for signs of
allergic conjunctivitis and any associated complications. Interpretation and data
analysis was done using Epi Info Software and a chi-square test was used to
analyse significant associations among categorical variables.
RESULTS
The prevalence of allergic conjunctivitis was found to be 29.16 % with a males to
female ratio of 1.02: 1. Children aged 13 – 16 years recorded the highest number
of cases which was 43.60 %. The commonest presenting symptom was itching
(100 %), Papillae were the most frequent sign (97.71 %), Seasonal allergic
conjunctivitis (SAC) was the most common type of AC reported (59.36 %), and
allergic rhinitis (17.8 %) was the most common associated comorbidity.
CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of Allergic conjunctivitis is high among children aged 5 - 16 yrs.
There is a lack of treatment seeking behaviour inspite of such high frequency.
Early identification & treatment of patients would help curb complications, improve
the child’s quality of life and thus the ophthalmic health of the community.
