Prevalence of habitual refractive errors and anisometropia among Dutch schoolchildren and hospital employees.

Purpose: Refractive error (RE) is suggested to cause not only visual impairment, but also functional problems such as aspecific health complaints and lower levels of school achievement. During the last few decades the prevalence of myopia has increased worldwide, especially in Asia. We investigated the prevalence of habitual RE and anisometropia in a Dutch population of children and employees.

Relationship between habitual refractive errors and headache complaints in schoolchildren.

Purpose: Refractive error (RE) is considered to be a possible cause for headaches. We aimed to gain insight into the relation between habitual RE (sphere and astigmatism) and headache complaints.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study the habitual refractive state of 487 children, aged between 11 and 13 years, was measured using an autorefractometer (Topcon, RM-8000B).